Hostile Takeover
by robster72
Summary: Complete. Chapter Twentyone. Matrix crossover. Batman finds out that Gotham is in the Matrix. Also with the Joker, Morpheus and Trinity. All reviews welcome.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer – I don't own Batman or Cornelius Stirk, DC does. All reviews and comments are welcome. The rest of the story is not in this style (probably too bitty to read for a long time). I just thought I would try it out as a way to build speed and tension up into the story. All comments about its effectiveness or whether it is a good or bad idea would be appreciated.

**Hostile Takeover – Chapter One**

**21:36 **Dave was munching on a doughnut whilst waggling his eyebrows provocatively at the tea lady. He stood up, wiped the sugar from his "I Love Strippers!" top and waddled over to her. He had been preparing for this moment all day. He had practically bathed in cologne. He found it a great way to mask the smell of sweat he got from playing squash before going to work. If someone lit a match near him it would make an atom bomb look like a barbecue. He had been preparing the one killer line. The one line that would get him her cell phone number and her into his life. The line about jello and octopuses. His computer beeped. He looked back at the computer. He looked over at her. She was sweeping her gorgeous blonde hair back and smiling at him whilst holding her nose for some reason? She was looking at him! No-one else! Just him! Her eyes were watering? Must be the t-shirt, it is rather witty! Beep! Beep! It was his computer again. A double beep. It had to be important.

Dave Walker waddled in a subdued way back to his computer terminal. He tapped the screen in confusion. It was showing a map of Gotham city and all the red dots showed any buses that had been stationary for more than one hour. Green dots showed active buses. One of the green dots was leaving the city. He left clicked on the dot. A little speech bubble appeared above it. The 276. He looked at his next monitor. The 276 was taking a group of school children to a hotel. It was full of children from a visiting Nevada school. The only problem is it was heading the wrong way.

He tapped the radio button and typed in 276 on the keypad.

"Bill this is Dave, come in Bill." Silence. The tea lady was leaving the office again. Damn he had fluffed up another chance! Maybe he should try his "Strippers do it in y-fronts" top next time? "Come on 276, this is Dave." Still silence. "Bill you are going the wrong goddamm way. The hotel is in the centre of the city. What the hell are you doing?"

The radio crackled to life. "I'm going to kill everyone of them."

**21:40** "He has activated his vehicle. We have a trace on him."

**21:41 **Gordon was standing in his office. A bus full of kids taken hostage. Great. He would have the tourist board on his back again. The tourist trade in Gotham was already hit hard enough with a bunch of scarred psychos treating the city like their own personal playpen. The last advert the Gotham Tourist Board had released to the world had been "Visit Gotham, or we'll visit you" with a picture of some of Arkham's most famous inmates. It hadn't gone down well. He slammed the phone down and picked up a two-way radio. "This is Gordon, liase with Walker in the Gotham City Coach Head Quarters. I want to know the minute that bus leaves that road. I want a helicopter in the air now. Let me know when we have visual. Get a mobile swat team on the road as well."

**21:44** "The police are incorrect. The target will acquire the coach in ten minutes."

**21:46 **"Commissioner this is Skybird One. We are above the freeway heading out of Gotham City towards the Gotham City dump."

A voice crackled into her earpiece. "This is Walker. You should have visual now. It is just passing the turning to Gotham Cemetery."

Becky Marler, the pilot looked down at the stream of lights heading into the distance. She was probably the best pilot in Gotham's police department. She could see the blue lights of the police converging in three directions.

"I still have no visual Walker," said Becky. "I'm taking her down lower." The signal was about to go under a bridge. She had nearly lost her stripes for flying under a bridge before. She decided to go above it this time. She didn't know what the fuss was about; she had missed the train by several feet. It was just pure bad luck that the blades had trimmed the hedge of the mayor at the same time. That wasn't exactly her fault; she had to get out of the way of the train. Who would have known the train would be on time? It wasn't her fault that the down draft caused the Mayor's garden party meal to be blown indoors. It was raining; they should have held it indoors anyway. From what she had heard the house needed redecorating before she decorated it with noodles and catsup. She was doing them a favour really. Horrible food, splattering it against a wall probably improved its flavour. Better concentrate on the job in hand. She looked down at road. Still no sign of the bus.

"You are right above them," the voice crackled on the radio. "I've got your GPS signal on my screen. It is doing 47 down the road. Look down, you are right on top of it."

Becky looked down. "There is no bus there, Walker. I've got two chevies, an open top beemer and a garbage truck."

"You just passed over it."

"That is a negative, that is not a bus." She focused the spotlight on the vehicle below her. "The signal is in the garbage truck! The signal is in the garbage truck!"

**21:49** "This is Gordon to all units. Be on the lookout for a bus full of children."

**21:50 **The Batmobile was roaring down the road. Alfred's voice crackled on the radio. "I have triangulated the radio signal sir, it does not conform to the GPS signal."

"Where are they headed?"

"Take the road to the Gotham National Forest. The last recording was from the road about 500 yards from your current position, fourteen minutes ago."

Batman pressed the accelerator and roared up to 230 miles per hour. He clicked a button and changed the headlights to infrared and the windscreen showed everything in front of him as clear as day. It just had a slight reddish tinge to the view.

"What type of coach are we talking about?" Said Batman.

"It is a 2005 Allure 500 series."

"Top speed 90 mph. With its cornering capability a one in four gradient and the fact it is fully loaded I should catch up with it in four minutes."

**21:52 **Sarah Jensen, a police operator, heard a "ghost" voice in her earphones telling her what type of call was coming through. "Police call."

"Police operator. Please state the nature of the emergency?"

A child's frightened voice came through the headset. "My name is Fiona Barrington a bad man has taken our bus and is driving us out of town."

Oh great another kid with a mobile phone. What had been the last emergency call she had taken? Oh yes, my brother has taken my Barbie and flushed it down the can. Woo! Call out the National Guard! "Who has taken the bus Fiona?"

"He looks like Abraham Lincoln?"

"Please restate that?"

"Oh my god! He is looking around! He is not Abraham Lincoln he is…"

The signal cut out.

**21:54 **Batman weaved through the traffic at high speed, not even bothering to take his foot off the accelerator. There it is. Five hundred yards ahead. He knew the type of coach. It has a slightly corrugated roof making an assault from above very feasible because of the handholds. If it were a different type of coach he would adopt a different tactic. He clicked a button on his dashboard and a screen showed all the heat signatures in the bus. One adult heat signature was cooling on the floor and one adult with a cold gun driving. The children were cowering in the seats. He ran a dual scan for explosives and gas canisters. Nothing. He scanned the engine block again just to make sure. The radiator would sometimes mask the signature and Batman did not want to be caught unawares simply by a button press. The Batmobile roared up to the side of the bus. The top of the car slid open.

"Take over," said Batman into his mouthpiece.

Alfred took remote control of the vehicle from the cave. Batman steadied himself and leapt onto the side of the bus and quickly scrambled onto the roof of the coach. The roof was slippery. Rain lanced into his eyes and his cloak was dragged back threatening to pull him off the roof. He crawled to the front of the bus and attached a flashbang to the drivers window. Boom. The window blew out and Batman swung in and kicked the driver to one side, quickly taking control of the vehicle. He looked down. The man's mouth opened wide and it was full of sharp razor like teeth. Three tongues like a snake flicked out. Batman punched him again.

The man's face changed to look like Abraham Lincoln. Cornelius Stirk. He was trying out his hypnotic implant's. Batman kicked the man in the knee bringing him down. Still steering with one hand he kicked him on the chin. He got back behind the wheel and slowly brought the bus to a halt. The man, who originally had looked like Abraham Lincoln shimmered as the hypnotic control he was using wore off revealing a bald, scarred, ugly looking man. It was Cornelius Stirk, a very nasty psychopathic killer. He tried to scare people to death to harvest their chemicals that he felt he needed to live. He looked back at the coach. The children were all there. All looking frightened.

"Calm down," said Batman to the children. This had the opposite effect to what he wanted. Considering his suit scared hardened criminals on children his effect was no less effective. They started screaming. "You are safe, your parents will be informed."

They still carried on screaming, though whether at him or their parents being told about them screaming he did not know. Batman dragged the unconscious Cornelius Stirk from the coach and he could hear the sound of sirens in the distance. Alfred must have told them where they were. In a few seconds he could see the blue lights and a spotlight from above when the police helicopter caught him in its glare. Time to leave. He looked around and pressed a button on his belt. The Batmobile glided to his side and the door hissed open. A black sedan with tinted windows screeched to a halt beside him and two men in dark suits with sunglasses got out. Secret service agents by the looks of them. They had the earphones that only they seem to wear. They stared at him with a strangely blank expression. The door hissed shut and Batman roared off the police radio already telling him about a vicious mugging in downtown Gotham.

**21:55** "The stories about him are true. Eighteen minutes from when he was told. We should talk to him before the agents do."


	2. Chapter Two

Batman is owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film.

**Hostile Takeover – Chapter Two**

Arkham Asylum. A huge ugly concrete monstrosity of the sixties. Covered in the scars of failed and successful escape attempts. The guards were some of the best paid in the business but that was purely because the life expectancy was so low. It was even rumoured that any guards who applied for a mortgage were refused because they weren't expected to make the first payment let alone all 25 years of it. A black sedan with tinted windows cruised slowly up to the gates. It was lit by spotlights from two towers and covered by guards with heavy machine guns. For a space of 200 yards around the prison was nothing but bare earth. Anything that could be used as cover had been razed to the ground. The sedan parked in the visitor parking spot, one hundred yards from the gate and two men in dark suits and sunglasses got out. They each had a small secret service ear phones wrapped around one ears with a cord coiling back into their shirt collars.

The two men walked up to the gates of Arkham asylum and talked into an intercom.

"We are agents Smith…" said one.

"and Brown," finished the other. "We are expected."

With a juddering sound the heavy steel gates creaked open and the two men walked in. Inside was Jeremiah Arkham, his hands together in the best simpering form.

"Well hello gentlemen," said Jeremiah. "Your agency did not say why you were coming. It is not about the escapes is it? This establishment is quite capable of guarding prisoners. We don't need another review of our methods."

"No Mr Arkham, that is not why we are here," said Agent Brown.

"We are here to talk to the man known as Joker."

* * *

Music was blasting out of the computer speakers. The whole Batcave was reverberating to the noise. Bats have very sensitive hearing but Robin doesn't. He was doing a bit of background research for Batman whilst simultaneously chatting to some of his friends on the internet and downloading some new Nsync tunes. Ooh! A friend of his had the latest downloads of their "Schizophrenic" album. He was just trying to hack into a South American bank that Batman was convinced that Two face had taken over.

"Hi what's new?" Came a message over the system.

"Nada just banner grabbing," typed Robin. He checked out the profile. Aha, female and under eighteen!

"That sounds exciting!" she typed back.

Robin thought for a moment. He was trying to find out their operating system, versions and patch levels so he could focus his attack. This he thought he should not mention.

A beeping sound showed a new message had turned up. Timax. A fellow hacker. "Hey hotsexyyoungthing324," typed Timax. That was Robin's messaging alias.

"Hi. Can you send me a port redirection exe, I need to hijack a session?" He typed and clicked on send.

He also typed in to the other person. "Love your profile. Is that picture you or a super model? Fancy meeting up for coffee later?" and clicked on send.

The girl typed back. "You can hijack me anytime, but you are not redirecting my port!"

Timax typed back. "Glad you like my picture! I thought the photograph caught the sweep of my beard wonderfully. We could just skip the coffee and go straight to the hot sex?"

Ooops! Wrong person. "Sorry Timax, I thought you were someone else?" He went back to the company's web site. Good it is early morning there. They are looking for staff! He quickly e-mailed a bogus CV he had on the system. It looked like a .doc word document but three hundred spaces after that was its true title. .exe. An executable file. He waited five minutes then his screen beeped. They had opened it. The .exe unpacked a small kit and sent him port and firewall details. Even access to their network. In a final flourish it deleted itself to hide itself from the network. He had a hole in their firewall and their local admin rights. He took a screen dump and started analysing their network.

The computer beeped. "Do you want to know what the matrix is Robin?"

Tim nearly spilt his coffee. How did he know his name? He checked the profile. Morpheus. No further details. It couldn't be the Morpheus could it? Most of his friends talked about him as if he were a hacking super hero.

"How do you know my name? What is the Matrix? Is it a new brand of breakfast cereal?"

* * *

Batman was standing on the roof of a building in downtown Gotham. A vicious mugging had occurred here not fifteen minutes ago. Blue lights reflected around the buildings as the ambulance below stretchered off the victim. The police below were already sealing off the area as a crime scene. Batman was using a pair of night vision binoculars and scouring the crowds below being herded off by the police. Some criminals especially serial criminals, liked to see the fruits of their action. Psychopaths and the truly mad were often able to hide their body language since they believed so truly in their cause. Batman did not believe this crime was committed by one of their number. He was looking at one man who was wearing a baseball cap. Criminals often wore hats to hide their face from CCTV cameras. It was not that which had attracted the Batman's attention though. The man below took off his hat and wiped his brow. Batman zoomed in on him. His eyebrows were raised and drawn and his lips were stretched and pulled back. He was fixing the police with a hard stare and was paying a lot of attention to the victim. The man was scared. Good. Time to give him the fright of his life.

Batman watched the man scuttle into an alley. Batman carried on watching him. He was meeting up with three others in the alley and they all three-started running off. Batman leapt off the building, fired a grappling hook at the nearest fire escape and swung down the street. At the last second he let go of the line threw himself onto a flagpole that he spun around once and let go onto a fire escape. He attached a line to it and fast roped to the ground in front of the fleeing villains.

* * *

Arkham Asylum interview room was made of bulletproof glass. Standing outside the only door into the room was a squad of ten guards. All armed with shotguns. A gas pipe fed into the roof so they could instantly flood the room with knockout gas. Two guards led a chained joker to the room. One gave him a final warning.

"Behave yourself, Joker, or we'll be putting you in solitary."

"If it means I don't have to look at your joyous countenance all day it would be a pleasure, William. Or is Willy to your friends?"

The Joker sat down and grinned at the two men in front of him. They had the smell of government men about them. Oooh goody, he must have seriously annoyed someone in power for them to pay him a visit.

"Well gentlemen, what can I help you with?" The Joker grinned at the two men. They remained expressionless. "Give me a smile."

Agent Smith said. "We need your assistance Mr Joker."

"Please less of the formalities, I'm just Joker to my friends. What can I help you with? I'm a wicked after dinner speaker. Need some punch lines for a funeral? Some of mine are positively evil." He fixed them with one of his best malevolent stares. They didn't back away. Curiouser and curiouser. He could normally make even the statue of liberty blink

"I'm going to be as forthcoming as I can be, Mr. Joker. You are here because we need your help. We are currently fighting a terrorist group, that despite our specialist skills keep evading us. We need someone that can operate outside the law."

The Joker grinned. "At the moment, I can't operate outside the prison, let alone outside the law." He rattled his chains at them. "Loosen these bracelets darling, they clash something terrible with my jacket, and we might be able to talk."

Agent Smith took off his sunglasses to reveal some unnaturally cold and blue eyes. "Before we do that Mr Joker, we need certain assurances from you."

"If you are offering my freedom, sir, I would quite happily swear that the moon is made of butter and the world is a great big jam sandwich."

"In your reality, that might just be true."

* * *

Batman leapt to the ground in front of the villains. The alleyway was piled high with rubbish bags, the flotsam and jetsam of civilisation. The three men, turned to face Batman. One of them reached into his jacket and Batman threw a batarang that knocked him out. The other one picked up a baseball bat and swung it at Batman. Batman ducked under it got inside the swing of the bat and elbowed the man in the stomach. He went down like a punctured balloon. The man Batman had originally followed pulled a gun out of his jacket and shot at Batman. The shot hit Batman on the chest, pushing him backwards into the rubbish bags. Damn. He was too slow. The man fired again. This shot just missing him. Batman threw a rubbish bag at the man, unclipped another batarang from his belt and knocked him out with it.

Batman looked down at his chest. His body armour had protected him from the bullets lethal force but he was going to have a bruise on his chest soon. He took a couple of deep breaths. Nothing broken. He quickly tied the three unconscious men to a nearby lamp post and leapt up to the line he had fast roped down originally. Without using his feet he swiftly climbed the five stories to the roof again.

* * *

Agent Smith got a hypodermic syringe from his pocket.

"With your permission Mr Joker, I would like to remove you from this reality."

The Joker paled. This sounded like they wanted to murder him. You don't kill hundreds of citizens without rubbing a few people up the wrong way. It wouldn't be the first time the relatives of one of his victims had tried to have him killed. These weren't government agents. They were contract killers. The Joker tried to stand up, but his chains stopped him moving too quickly. Agent Smith grabbed him by the neck and agent Brown, grabbed his arm. The Joker tried to struggle but it was like being held in a steel vice. The syringe went in and his arm went numb. He looked at his other arm. It looked like mercury. He could see his face reflected in his arm.

"Relax Mr Joker. Do not resist. It is inevitable."

* * *

Batman climbed down the building when a voice crackled into his earpiece. It was Alfred.

"I've just been listening to the police band, sir. It appears that two men have killed the Joker inside Arkham and they have taken a guard prisoner and want to speak to you!"

Batman jumped the remaining twenty feet to the ground, bending his legs and rolling to lessen the impact. His car was thirty feet away. He ran towards it whilst pressing a button on his belt. With a hissing sound the door opened and Batman leapt into the car. This night was just getting more and more interesting!

Batman pressed his foot on the accelerator and roared away down the street. He pressed the communicator button and said two words. "Arkham Asylum." There was a ringing sound and then a voice.

"Jeremiah Arkham speaking."

"This is Batman, what is happening?"

"Batman, thank God! Two men, they said they were from the CIA, are with the Joker right now. They injected the Joker with something! We thought they had killed him but he seems to be standing up again now?"

"I thought you had new security measures in place?"

"We do! We flooded the interview room with knockout gas as soon as we saw the hypodermic but they are all three just standing there, it had no effect on them! I sent in a guard with a shotgun and a gas mask to apprehend them but they disarmed him and knocked him out. They are asking to speak to you."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Something else is strange as well?"

"What is that?"

"The Joker is now wearing sun glasses, although I could swear he didn't have them before he went in?"


	3. Chapter Three

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews are welcome!

**Chapter Three – Hostile Takeover**

Robin carried on typing to the mysterious stranger who had messaged him.

"Follow the white rabbit." Morpheus typed.

"If you are trying to sell me drugs, I should warn you, I've got all the Vitamin C I need."

"Ring, ring." The screen said.

The phone next to Robin rang and Tim nearly jumped off the seat. How did they know? He turned the music off and picked up the handset like it might bite him.

"Master Drake," said Alfred. "There are some friends of yours to see you upstairs."

"I'll be right up. Is one of them in fancy dress?"

"Fancy dress, sir?"

"You know, dressed like a white rabbit?"

"She is not a bunny girl, sir. They are rather insistent to meet you."

* * *

Batman, accompanied by two Arkham guards stalked up to the glass interview room holding the Joker. Gas was still wafting around the room. The Joker looked over at Batman and stuck his head against the three-inch thick bulletproof glass and grinned.

"Hello Battyboy, fancy seeing you here? You visiting for business or pleasure?"

The two agents were standing behind the Joker. Not moving a muscle and not even appearing to breathe.

"Release your hostage, Joker and we might be able to negotiate."

"I'm not here to negotiate, Bats." The Joker pulled his fist back and Batman instinctively stepped back. The Joker punched a hole through the glass. The glass was three inches thick. Batman had seen some Meta humans able to do that but the only powers the Joker had had was to be extremely irritating and positively lethal. Batman grabbed the Joker's hand, put his foot against the glass and pulled the Joker forward. The Joker banged his head against the glass and knocked his sunglasses off.

"No fair!"

Batman looked at the Joker in surprise. Batman could bench press 260lb's. The force he had just exerted on the Joker should have not only knocked him out but given him a nose that only a plastic surgeon could love.

The Joker kicked the glass between them and little spider web cracks appeared between them. The two agents stood next to the Joker and punched the glass as well.

"Get your men out of here," said Batman to Jeremiah Arkham. "That glass will not last long." Outside Arkham asylum he could hear police sirens approaching. Fine. Judging by their strength and speed he might need help.

* * *

Tim, dressed in his normal everyday clothes ran up the stairs to the clock. Alfred should have diverted the visitors away from the Batcave entrance with his customary skill. He opened the door and peered out. He quietly closed the clock entrance and stood still. He could hear voices coming from the other room. He walked into the reception room. In the corner was a blazing fire and on the walls were several impressionist masterpieces. Bruce liked his paintings. Tim was never too sure whether his love of impressionism was an ironic joke of his lifestyle. Alfred was standing in the corner of the room next to a suit of armour. Alfred was used to strange visitors in the mansion and had hidden around the place several shot guns. If he was standing close to one of them that meant he did not fully trust his visitors. They were sitting in high back chairs with their backs to Tim.

Alfred looked up when he came in the room. "Master Tim, good of you to join us. I was just talking to your Internet friends Morpheus and Trinity? Is that your real names? I'm rather rusty on my ancient historical literature but surely Morpheus is the Etruscan God of dreams?"

"Greek," intoned the stranger. He stood up to face Tim. He was wearing a long black coat and his eyes were hidden behind mirrored glass. He was a bulky man with no hair and he moved with an athletic skill. Tim sensed he was in the presence of another martial artist.

"Wow are you really Morpheus?" Said Tim. "Wow you are the hackers, hacker! You know I wouldn't mind a bit of advice on… Woah!"

The other person stood up and Robin saw she was a shapely young woman dressed in skintight motorcycle leathers. Her jacket was covered in various pins and labels including a white rabbit.

"Do you know Catwoman?"

She smiled at him. Morpheus started speaking again. "We have been watching you and Batman for sometime now. Unfortunately…"

"Why would I know Batman?"

"You are his partner Robin. Trust us. We know all about you. This is not, however, how I would envisage us meeting."

Morpheus's phone started ringing. He reached into his coat pocket and clicked on the phone to slide down the receiver. He listened for a few seconds and then clicked the phone back into place.

"We need to speak to you and Bruce Wayne. Agents have been trying to track us down for several years. They seem to be trying a new technique. Converting humans to their cause. So far this has not caused us too many problems. Unfortunately they are trying out the Joker now. He is new on us but not on you two. We need your help."

"Hey if you need help escaping the law, you are talking to the wrong people."

"This is not the law, this is the matrix."

"You mentioned that before. What is the matrix?"

"The Matrix is everywhere, it's all around us, here even in this room. You can see it out your window, or on your television. You feel it when you go to school, or go to church or message online. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth."

"What is the truth then?" Robin had the nasty feeling he was going to be asked to join some strange cult.

"That you are a slave, Tim. That you, like each and every other person, was born into bondage... ... kept inside a jail that you cannot smell, taste, or touch. A prison for your mind. Unfortunately you cannot be told what the Matrix is, you have to see it for yourself. This discussion will have to wait though. Batman is about to face his toughest opponents yet."

"Batman has faced tough people before."

"Not like this. Come on, we have to go and rescue him."

* * *

Batman threw a batarang at the light plunging the room into instant blackness. He put a hand to his mask and dropped the starlight lenses. The world had a green tinge to it now. The Joker and the two agents had nearly broken through the glass. He took a couple of steps back and climbed silently onto the roof of the interview room. He scaled agilely up onto the glass roofed interview room and looked down. The glass gave up the unequal struggle and shattered and the three men clambered out. Batman leapt down, a foot stamped down on each agents head. Normally he would not use such a move since it could kill but judging by their strength it should not do that. He rolled to the floor and executed a perfect tai kwon do kick into the Joker's stomach and then stood up. The three men were down. He looked at the Joker. He got up; his sunglasses knocked off, and stared at the Batman. It was pitch black, how could he see him? After that move he should spend the next five minutes trying to find out if he could still breathe he certainly should not be up and looking at him. The two agents were also staring at him behind their sunglasses and quickly got to their feet.

He had beaten Meta humans before. It just needed a change of technique. Agent Smith lunged at him with inhuman speed. Batman sent in a side snap kick to Agent Smith's stomach and Smith blocked it with a perfect textbook style outside block. Batman cartwheeled backwards to send a kick to the Joker's head, which the Joker blocked with inhuman speed and sent a side thrust kick to Batman's head, which Batman only just blocked. These people were good. In fact they were better than good. Only a couple of Batman's sensei's had ever been able to do that. Batman kicked against the wall to give him lift and leapt for the broken light fitting and spun onto the roof of the interview room. Agent Smith jumped the twelve feet from the floor straight onto the roof. Batman pushed the light fitting into Agent Smith's face and the Agent received about 240 volts as Batman earthed him with one of his cables.

Blue electric lightning lit up Agent Smith. The Joker tried the same jump but Batman kicked him before he landed sending him crashing into Agent Brown. Smith still with electric blue lightning surrounding him sent a roundhouse kick to Batman's head. Batman ducked it. If he even touched him he would get electrocuted as well! Batman got a nun-chukka from his belt. He did not normally use them but Nightwing seemed to like them.

He adopted a Lung Ying poise and swung his foot round to connect with Smith's knee. When Smith went to block that move Batman connected the nun-chukka with his chin knocking him into the Joker and Brown who just leapt up again to the roof electrocuting all three of them.

* * *

Tim got into the car with Morpheus and Trinity rather worriedly. He looked over at Alfred, who was also looking pensive. Alfred had insisted that he come along as well. "How do they know?" Alfred mouthed to him.

Tim shrugged his shoulders. The car was a featureless black sedan with tinted windows. Morpheus got in the drivers seat and pressed the accelerator. This car was fast. He was used to the Batmobile's speed and although it was nowhere near as fast as that it was certainly seriously souped up. He listened with a practiced ear.

"This car has a Hekimean racing engine doesn't it?" He asked.

Morpheus who was driving like a rally driver out of the Wayne Manor's drive said. "You know your cars."

"I try to. This car does not ship with that kind of engine. What type of speed can you get out of her?"

"Let's find out."

* * *

Smith ripped the cable that was electrocuting him from him and made to punch Batman. Batman leapt backwards off the roof of the interview room and did a backwards roll to the ground. Smith, Brown and the Joker jumped down next to him. Batman kicked an agent with one foot whilst simultaneously hitting the Joker on the jaw with the nun chuka's and punching Brown in the stomach.

The Joker kicked Batman in the stomach sending him crashing against some filing cabinets in the corner. The Joker then leapt into the air. Batman's bulletproof costume gave him some protection from the kick but it was still like being kicked by a mule. Batman rolled out of the way and grabbed the Joker's foot when he landed twisting him away. Agent Smith grabbed Batman by the cape and threw him against the glass interview room. Batman twisted in midair and landed on his feet. He was tiring and starting to run out of ideas. He threw a batarang at Agent Smith's head. Agent Smith appeared to blur as he moved out of the way. He was fast. Impossibly fast. He had timed his Batarangs at fifty foot per second. The Joker picked up a filing cabinet and threw it at Batman. Batman rolled to one side with the cabinet just missed him. It landed with a fearful crashing sound, files spilling out all over the floor.

Just before he could get up Agent Smith grabbed hold of his arm. Batman struggled against him and punched him on the jaw. It was like hitting concrete. Agent Brown grabbed his other arm. He felt like he was being held in a vice.

The Joker, grinning like a kid given the keys to a sweet shop, sashayed up to him and grabbed him one handed by the throat.

"Time to see what noise Bats make when they die!"


	4. Chapter Four

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome!

**Chapter Four – Hostile Takeover**

Batman was starting to see spots in front of his eyes. The Joker had his throat by the hand and was slowly squeezing the life out of him. All he could see was the Joker's leer. His white corpse like face and eyes with that peculiar intensity only he could give them. His arms were being held by agents Smith and Brown and he could not move. He kicked his leg up, kicking the Joker in the crotch. He went down with a squeal of pain. The two agents still had his arms.

Batman closed his eyes. "Flash grenade." He said. The voice activated explosive on his belt exploded outwards away from him in a bright flare of magnesium. The two agents dropped his arms and covered their eyes and Batman, using the Joker as a springboard, leapt towards the doors.

This was a fight he could not win and he could not afford to stay in. His Kevlar gorget had given his neck some protection but he would still have a bruise in the morning. Still running he raced through the corridors to the exit of Arkham Asylum. Outside the complex was a police swat team, guns trained on the exit. Where was he? Oh yes there was Gordon.

* * *

Jim Gordon was to put it mildly surprised. Normally when he saw Batman he was dragging the comatose bodies of several thugs behind him. Batman normally looked fine, with perhaps an artistic bit of blood from a cut lip, especially if there was a woman about to give him sympathy. Batman stalked up to Gordon and gestured with his head to walk with him. 

"Problems?" Growled Gordon. Sometimes it paid to be as monosyllabic as Batman.

"The Joker has been given some sort of powers. There are also two meta humans with him."

"Powers? What sort of powers? Ability to open milk cartons without spilling them? Turn wine into water?"

"Probably about four times as strong as the average man and above average reflexes. Also ability to recover from injuries that would kill the average man."

"Are they bullet proof?"

"Didn't try."

"One of these days we'll have to issue you with a gun and a badge. We'll soon find out how bulletproof they are. Here comes the Joker and his cronies now."

"Don't let them get close to your men, they will rip them apart."

Gordon picked up a loud hailer. "Armed police. Lie down on the ground. Hands on your head, now." They ignored him and all three of them walked towards his police swat team. "Halt." Didn't work. Better gun them down. A world without the cherubic smile of the Joker could only be a happier one. "Shoot to kill men."

The police started shooting. They were highly trained marksmen, with the skill that only constant practice can give. Their targets were only ten yards away. Normally after being shot by a police swat team the only thing to identify them is their DNA, normally scattered over the sidewalk. Somehow the three of them dodged the bullets. They seemed to somehow blur and the fusillade of bullets all missed their targets.

Gordon pulled his problem solver out of his shoulder holster. Might be able to get them in the cross fire. After several seconds of the three of them seeming to blur in and out of existence they collapsed to the floor. Heavily perforated. Not so tough. "Cease fire!" He called to his men. Better check them out.

"Careful Gordon," warned Batman. There was a roaring sound of a racing engine and a car screeched to a halt behind the police cordon. He reloaded his gun and walked carefully up to the three bodies. Being careful to keep out of his men's line of fire he knelt down to the first body. Something was wrong. The men he had been shooting at had had black suits and sunglasses. This man was dressed like a vagrant. A rather smelly vagrant. Now unfortunately deceased. He looked across at the Joker's body. Where he was expecting to see a dead white faced clown the body of a man dressed as an Arkham guard leered up at him.

* * *

The Joker was enjoying himself immensely. He didn't know quite what those fruitcakes had done to him but he liked it hugely. He had been being shot at and somehow he could see the bullets and dodge them. Even Batman who normally punched and kicked faster than the eye could see was seemingly moving like he was in treacle and it seemed a matter of ease to block his blows. Even with that advantage some still got through. A tricky animal was bats. 

The Joker looked around him. He was driving a car. A pink car with a baby seat on the passenger side. He looked in the rear view mirror and could see Agents Smith and Brown. Damn. He thought he had lost them.

The system had moved them to where it had detected some intruders from Zion. The Joker did not understand any of this but he did know he did not like being ordered around by a number crunching machine.

He looked in front of him. A car with tinted windows was weaving dangerously through the streets. A chase. This he could understand. He pressed the accelerator down and rammed the car in front of him. The car in front accelerated faster. The Joker rammed them again. He felt in his jacket pocket. Ooh! A gun! What fun! He pulled the gun out of his jacket pocket and accelerated to the side of the other car. There were some people there with sunglasses on. The Joker and agents Smith and Brown started shooting at them. The other car did a hand brake turn and accelerated in the other direction.

The Joker tried the same manoeuvre but crashed it into an oncoming lorry. Flames erupted around him…

There was a momentary feeling of release and then he was back again. In another body. The car he had been chasing was accelerating towards him. He was on a pedestrian crossing. A dog lead was in the other hand. He didn't know quite how or what was happening but he knew he had to get out of the way. He leapt into the air, leaving the dog behind him. The car swerved to avoid him and the dog and took the sidewalk, knocking over a parking meter and crashing into a wall. The Joker landed on the ground and started running towards the car. The three people in the car ran to a door, kicked it down, and ran into a building.

The Joker ran after them. He could hear a phone ringing. The ringing sound stopped before he got there. He ran into the room to find it was empty…

Agents Smith and Brown ran in after him. The Joker turned to them.

"Do you mind telling me what that was all about?"

"They are fugitives from an alternative reality. The 'phones are exit portals for them."

"Why should I help you fruit cakes out? Those people we are chasing look more my kind villain. Cool clothes, cool glasses one step in front of the law."

"We are not the law Mr Joker."

"Why should I help you?" The Joker spread his arms out in front of him. He looked down at his hands. His fingers had fused together. He tried to gasp in shock but he couldn't open his mouth. He looked at himself in a shop window and he could see he was turning into a…

Just as quickly as it had come it stopped. "We need your mind, not your body," hissed Smith. "If you cause us problems, we will deliver you back to Arkham…"

"Nice place, I've visited it often."

"…in a body bag."

The Joker giggled. "You are talking to the clown prince of threats. If you give me another chance at the Batman I will help you."

"If you help us kill these terrorists, we will help you kill Batman."

"Gentlemen, I don't know who you are or what you want, but you have my undivided attention. Let's talk tactics."

* * *

Batman stalked to the car that had pulled up spilling Tim and Alfred onto the pavement. What are they trying to do? Ruin everything. Batman walked past them without acknowledging them. 

Tim ran up to him and put his hand on his arm. Batman grabbed the youngster by the collar and brought his face close to his.

"If you follow me out of costume again, I'll fire you…"

"Back off!" Said Tim, trying to get his breath back. "We are here to help you."

"I don't need help. Meet me at the cave. We will discuss this further."

Batman limped to his car and got in. Goddam it what were they doing? He pressed the accelerator and got a reassuring throaty sound from the V12 engines. He roared off. He could see in the mirror the car Tim was in vainly trying to keep up. It was fast but not as fast the Batmobile. He didn't recognise the people Tim was with either. "Computer," he growled. "I want a facial recognition scan on the two people with Tim. Also the two people with the Joker."

There was a whirring and beeping sound from the car. The car had a wireless link to the computer in the Batcave. That was linked to the Wayne Industry servers which in turn had a link to the Gotham Police Services, Interpol, CIA, FBI, MI5, Serute, F56K and the Russian security services. The computers had a facial database of about 55 of the world's population. Some Asian and African countries were not so technologically advanced, or were hostile to the cataloguing of their citizens, but he did not think these suspects came from there.

Two minutes later the computer spoke. "Negative. There is no record of any of the suspects in my database."

That left two possibilities. Either they were active security agents whose identities were kept secret from most security files. Or they were not known to the system, or at least the system he had access to...

* * *

The room is dark and dank. The only light comes in through a broken window. Outside can be heard the normal sounds of life in Gotham; screams and sirens. Inside on a small table is a phone. It starts ringing. Outside can be heard running. The sound of a chase. The window smashes open and a man with sunglasses and a black leather jacket rolls on the ground. He has dark hair speckled with grey. One arm hangs loosely by his side. He has been shot and blood is dripping on the floor. He picks up the phone. 

"Operator, get me an exit," he hisses into the phone. He looks at the window. Two shadowy people running incredibly fast are approaching him.

"Oh I'm sorry!" Says a singsong voice on the phone. "That number is unavailable. But don't worry you are one of our lucky winners for a fabulous first prize!"

The 'phone explodes and the man is thrown back out of the window and his battered corpse falls onto the ground.

By a strange quirk of fate the speaker on the phone is still working and a high-pitched giggling sound can be heard…


	5. Chapter Five

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome!

**Chapter Five – Hostile Takeover**

A street mime was pretending to go through an invisible door. The passers by were pretending he was invisible as well. Down the street two women dressed in tight leathers with wrap around sunglasses were busy shooting at two agents that were following them. Two police officers in front of them tried to stop them. One of the women gave the first officer a scorpion kick to the head whilst simultaneously spinning round and pushing the other officer spinning into the path of the two agents. The two women leapt over a bench and raced towards a ringing pay phone.

The "mime" drew a gun from his pocket and shot at the phone. The phone disintegrated under a fusillade of bullets. Grinning like a Cheshire cat he pulls another cartridge from his pocket and reloads the gun…

* * *

Morpheus frowned. This Batman was proving to be more than a little uncommunicative. He had his foot down and the traffic was zipping by either side. He had the car up to 150 mph but the Batmobile just coasted ahead. For some time they had been finding gifted people, rebels mostly, to explain the realities of life to. This was the first time that not even Morpheus could catch up with this rebel! His phone rang.

"Morpheus."

"This is Tank. We've lost three people in the past hour. I dunno how but Agents are all over them."

"How many people do we have left plugged in?"

"Twelve all told. Including you and Trin."

"Get them out here. Now." Morpheus grimaced as he took the car past a police car. Immediately blue lights started following him.

"Okay sir, what about you?"

"I need to talk to Batman."

"How do we know his system's clean?" There is the sound of tapping. "There is a hard line in Wayne Manor, sir. If there is a problem, you could get out that way, otherwise…" There is some further tapping. "you don't want to know how far the nearest exit point is."

"We don't. We need to take a chance." The blue lights soon disappeared into the distance. This car could outdistance most vehicles.

"Shit. I've just lost another life sign."

"Let me know if the agent signals converge on us and get everyone else out of here!" Morpheus pressed the button to end the call.

* * *

Batman was out of the city and zooming up a country road. He pressed a button on the car dashboard. A security sweep was conducted of the local area. A green light appeared on the dashboard to show it was clear and a small section of the hillside lifted up leaving just enough space for the batmobile to squeeze in. The headlights blazed out and behind him he could see the hillside clunk back into place. Motion sensor lights about him blazed giving the cave an eerie affect with dark shadows and stygian depths either side of the road. He slowed the car to a crawl and parked on the turntable.

He was angry with Tim and Alfred. What on earth possessed them to see him out of costume? Especially in front of all those police. There were some fine analytical minds amongst them and even if they didn't want to think about his identity it wouldn't take much to put two and two together.

He got out of the car and stalked up to the computer. The light above him went on as it detected him. The lights by the tunnel went out and the turntable hummed as it turned the car round to face the tunnel entrance.

A beeping sound resounded around the cave. Someone had just walked in the door of the manor. Bruce quickly changed out of his costume and into some casual wear. He walked up the stairs to the top. He stopped just before opening the door and took a deep breath. He had to calm down. He didn't want to just go out and start shouting at Tim and Alfred. After a few seconds he felt his pulse go down he opened the door and walked out…

* * *

Tim was pretty apprehensive. Bruce was in a pretty bad mood. True his mood did tend to move from dour to harsh with the occasional burst of fury but this looked different.

Alfred was one of the few people who didn't fear Bruce's temper. Tim hadn't been with him long enough to warrant the sort of affection that Alfred garnered in his affections. The mysterious Morpheus and Trinity were standing like statues in the corridor. Bruce came through the door.

Bruce jabbed a finger at Morpheus. "Do you mind telling me who the hell you two are?"

"I am Morpheus."

"And I am Trinity."

The bald man smiled at Batman. "We can understand you are upset. Believe me what I have to tell you is more important than any petty squabbles."

"More important…" Bruce clutched his head. "Do you realise that the Joker has just escaped. He is probably the most dangerous psychopath I have ever met and believe me I know…"

"We share your concerns Bruce…"

"That is another case in point. How did you find me?"

"We have the ability to monitor all communications in the matrix?"

"What are you talking about? What is this matrix?"

"Twelve years ago I met a man, a great man, who said that no one could be told the answer to that question. That they had to see it, to believe it." Morpheus's voice is quiet almost hypnotic in its persuasion. "He told me that no one should look for the answer unless they have to because once you see it, everything changes. Your life and the world you live in will never be the same. It's as if you wake up one morning and the sky is falling."

"I asked you a straight question."

"I can not tell you, I have to show you." Morpheus opens his hands. He has two pills there. A red pill and a blue pill. "Take the red pill and you will see what the world really is. Who is really running it. Take the blue pill and you carry on your life. Fighting crime, running a company, maybe even start a family. All without knowing or caring what is really happening."

Bruce looks down at his hand. He stares at it long and hard.

"I don't do drugs," he says and turns away.

Alfred has been looking out the window whilst listening to the conversation. The floodlights are on in the grounds. He stops and stares. "My, my that is peculiar…"

Something about his voice makes Trinity turn around. "What is it?"

"_Vulpes vulpes_. The common fox. I saw one dash across in front of the fountain. The next second I could swear it ran past again."

Trinity looks over at Morpheus with concern. She looks back at Alfred. "Was it the same fox you saw or a different one?"

"No it was Sabre. Well I call him Sabre. I rescued him last year from some barbwire out the front of the house. The poor little creature had got stuck. I know it's him because where the barb wire cut into him he has a long white scar down his side."

"Shit."

"What is the concern madam?"

"An anomaly like that normally means they have changed something in the programme."

Tim looks out the window. Helicopter spotlights can be seen coming over the horizon. Lots of them. The headlights of several police swat team lorries can be seen out the front. The sound of running feet can be heard outside. Suddenly small thin red lights come through the window. The lazer sighting of police marks men.

Morpheus gets a phone from his pocket. "Tank this is Morpheus. Activate the local hard line. We are leaving."

"That's a negative sir, they've just cut it."

The mansion lights cut out. Dirty yellow emergency lights emerge from the chandeliers casting the room in a strange glow.

Bruce walks up to the window, the lazer sights are all over him.

"For god's sake Bruce get down," hisses Tim. He is crouched behind a high back settee.

A fusillade of shots erupt. The mansion glass shatters but stays in place. "The glass is bullet proof," Bruce says calmly. "Something seems to have annoyed them." He turns to Morpheus. "Or someone. Why don't I just turn you in?"

Morpheus gives a half smile. "You know too much. They would kill you."

Bruce carries on standing at the window. The sound of shooting is nearing a crescendo. The glass has turned white and it is starting to buckle inwards under the weight of fire. Small broken bits of glass start to trickle onto the carpet. He comes to a decision. "Okay, we're getting out of here. Follow me."

He walks to where the clock is in the corridor. He sets the time of the clock to the time when his parents died and the clock slides back revealing… A brick wall.

Trinity looks at Morpheus. "That's what they've changed…"

Tim looks back at the front door. There is a burst of white smoke and the doors come flying off. The Joker comes mincing through the smoke, behind him two agents wielding guns and ten police swat team members come running through the smouldering embers of the door…


	6. Chapter Six

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome!

**Chapter Six – Hostile Takeover**

Morpheus drew a gun but before he had a chance to start shooting a metal door comes tearing up through the floor and seals off the room. Another steel shutter drops down over the window. He looked over at Alfred. Alfred pressed a button on the wall, hidden under a tapestry.

"After Bane broke in a while ago we decided to upgrade the security on the mansion," said Alfred. Alfred pointed up at the emergency lights. "It runs on an emergency generator." Alfred gave a wry smile. "We've placed a few surprises around the manor as well."

The room was dark with just the light from the emergency generator casting them in a strange glow. From the other side of the metal door could be heard the sound of bangs and crashes…

* * *

The Joker was annoyed. He had at last found out the identity of Batpest and now he had to share it with all these police. He didn't normally work well with police and it was all he could do not to start painting his gun purple with little flowers on it and start giving the police life insurance fund a real battering. 

Then a metal door came flying out of the floor and sealed them off. What was that clanking sound? He looked to his left and one of the suits of armour that stands next to the doorway had left the pedestal. He took his sunglasses off and rubbed his eyes. No it wasn't a trick. Oof! The other knight had just hit him in the back with a mace. No fair!

No wonder Bruce Wayne didn't entertain at home very often! The other knight was waving a medieval two-handed sword. A two-handed sword could cut through mail and bone. This sword had a serrated edge to cut off the pikes of halberd axes. Well it had been boring in Arkham. Even he visited the library occasionally.

He got to his feet and immediately ducked as the mace nearly connected with his head. He could see between the visors and could see a dull red glow of a robot's eyes. He sent a scissor kick to the knight's midriff and watched with satisfaction as the knight went flying against the stairs and bits of armour went flying off to reveal the robot's endoskeleton.

Agents Smith and Brown were fighting the other knight with limited success since they could only get as close as the four foot sword would allow. They still got in a few punches and kicks.

The other "knight" clambered off the stairs, shedding bits of armour. Two members of a police swat team shot at it and the "knight" sent two drug tipped darts into their necks knocking them out instantly. The Joker giggled. He picked up a gun from the floor. A Heckler and Koch MP5. He emptied the magazine at the robot and then leapt at it. He just loved his new skills! He ran up the wall, round the ceiling and came down behind the robot. The robot was slow. It aimed a dart at the Joker but he dodged it and kicked the robot in the head sending it flying into the four members of the police swat team still standing. Double bonus, he thought, and squared up to the "knight" as it clambered to its feet.

* * *

Bruce was thinking. They needed to get to the Batcave. Would they have sealed the cave entrance on the road as well? Quite likely. But to even get there to check they would have to go through the grounds. On his own he stood a good chance. Five years of training by the some of the best masters in the orient meant he could walk through the darkness like a ghost. With Alfred, Tim and this Morpheus and Trinity characters? He didn't rate his chances. 

There was only one other way in. It was where he had fallen into the cave as a child. His father had sealed it up afterwards but his father had been a first class doctor but only a second classcarpenter.

"We need a distraction Alfred."

Alfred gave a small smile and got a remote control from a nearby cabinet and started pressing some buttons.

* * *

Deep in one of the Wayne Manor garages a member of the Gotham Police Swat team was making his way nervously. He didn't like any of this. Why was the Joker suddenly working with them? Orders from on high apparently. Gordon had flat out refused to lend any assistance to this escapade. Even Gordon couldn't stop his men being assigned to these Agent controls. They had all the authority. There were lots of vehicles here from Lamborghini's to Ferraris. He had even passed an armoured humvee with blacked out windows. This Wayne guy certainly liked his cars. The humvee he had just passed suddenly growled into life. He turned around just in time to see the garage doors open and the humvee race down the drive. He ran out of the garage and aimed his gun. The humvee crashed several police cars out of the way. He saw some of his colleagues leap out of its way. He put the gun to his shoulder and loosed several shots after it. It would take more than a few bullets to stop an armoured humvee. Two police helicopters immediately stopped putting spotlights on the Wayne Manor windows and peeled off after the car. Six police cars raced out after it.

* * *

Alfred was enjoying himself. On the controller in front of him he had a small overhead screen showing the humvee's location on a map and a small screen showing a drivers eye view of the humvee. He pressed a button on the control and a he could just hear a mocking beep sound in the distance as the humvee tooted its horn. 

Not that he liked to boast but he had spent several days practicing with this around Wayne Manor when they first got it, and he had got very good at it. Tim and Alfred had even raced the Batmobile and the humvee round the local roads by remote control when Bruce had been out and he had beaten Tim who was controlling the Batmobile. Mainly because in spite of the Batmobile's many admirable qualities it was not an off roader.

He was following Bruce out of the back door of the manor and into the small herb garden he had. He nearly tripped up over his feet a couple a times since it is difficult to concentrate on driving a car and walking at the same time. Something few people have experience of. The police were still following close behind the humvee. He pressed a button when he was on a straight road to flick through the cameras on the humvee. One showed the side. One showed a police car close behind and there standing on the police car, just about to leap over was an agent. The other side showed… Alfred nearly dropped the controller in shock. The Joker's evil clown like face was leering upside down at him.

* * *

The Joker was still having fun. He had just finished pounding that robot to scrap metal when the wretched system had moved him into a policeman's body and he was now following a humvee. Bruce Man or Bat Wayne or whatever the hell he called himself now had obviously made a break for freedom. Agent Brown was driving the police car he was in. The Joker clambered out onto the roof of the speeding police car. He could see a trail of police cars behind him and several police helicopters in the air above him. The humvee was peppered with bullet holes but nothing had stopped it so far. 

"Get us closer Brownie old fruit," shouted the Joker to Agent Brown. Agent Smith clambered out the other side. This roof was getting distinctly crowded. The Joker was tempted to push Smith off the roof but that would accomplish nothing. It didn't stop being tempted though! The Joker steeled himself and leapt onto the roof of the humvee.

Lying on the roof the Joker peered in upside down through the window. He couldn't see anything. He got his gun and started to shoot through the windows. Damn. Bulletproof glass. "Oof!"

The Joker looked up. The humvee had left the road and was racing through a wood. The branches threatened to pull the Joker off. The Joker heard a thumping sound and saw that Smith had joined him on the roof. Agent Smith put one hand under the roof and started to peel it off. Now why hadn't he thought of that? A big branch caught Smith under the chin and threw him into the centre of a muddy slime filled puddle.

The Joker laughed at Smith when another branch caught the Joker squarely between the legs and sent him spinning into a tree before dropping him neatly into a local farmer's silage pit in a shower of leaves and twigs. "Good thing I don't feel pain and can't smell now…" Thought the Joker before he blacked out.

* * *

Bruce Wayne and the others had silently made it into the grounds of the mansion. It was difficult to see at night but even without night vision goggles Bruce Wayne had excellent night vision. He took them to a spot to the side of the house and started digging with his hands into the turf. In the distance he could hear the sounds of the police chase diminishing. Alfred was leading them a merry dance. In a few seconds he had dug through the turf and he saw the wooden baffle he had put in place when he went down here after Azrael. He gave himself a wry smile. His carpentry skills were probably on a par with his fathers. 

He helped the others down and got a torch from his pocket. He showed the others the small cave leading to the Batcave. The Cave had its own hydroelectric power from a small generator run by an underground stream. The motion sensor lights blazed out underground as they walked into the centre of the cave.

Morpheus got his phone out and rang one number. Since his phone wasn't connected to the normal "network" it would work even underground "Tank, where is the nearest exit point?"

"You're not going to like this sir."

"Just tell me."

"Five miles away on the outskirts of Gotham."

"Sounds fine. We'll make it."

"In the third floor of Arkham Asylum High Security Section."

_Authors Note - Thanks for Cmar for the comments on DIY. I have changed that to carpentry._


	7. Chapter Seven

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome

**Chapter Seven – Hostile Takeover**

Morpheus was famed for showing no emotion. For being as cold and logical as the agents that hunted them. Trinity studied his face. For a moment, just for a second a flicker of fear haunted his face.

"I take it that is not an easy place to get into?"

Morpheus turned to Bruce who was just putting on his cowl to become Batman and raised an eyebrow. "Well it was easy to get out of until recently. Since Bane literally blew a hole in their security they have doubled the guards and put all kinds of new security in place."

"Can you get us in?" Toned Morpheus.

"There is a National Guard base just been set up ten minutes drive from Arkham."

"So what you are saying," said Trinity. "Is that if we avoid the agents, the police, the Arkham guards and inmates, the army will blow us away?"

Alfred coughed. "We have two more small problems."

"What's that?"

"One," he dropped the remote controller on the floor. "I've just crashed the humvee or rather the police dropped a spike trap in front of the wheels. Either way it is out of commission and they will shortly be searching for us again."

"And two?"

"The Batmobile only has space for four people and that is only at a very tight squeeze." He gestured around at the others, "We are five."

"Trinity can sit on my lap!" Said Robin a little too quickly.

Trinity gave him an appraising look. True they hadn't found "the one" yet as Morpheus so confidently predicted they would. But when and if they did she hoped he was at least of an age he could shave. "I'll share a seat with Alfred." Said Trinity thinking it was probably the lesser of two evils.

"Okay let's hustle!" Said Tim and ran towards the Batmobile.

They all squeezed into the car. It had two small seats in the back, mainly for squeezing perps into. Morpheus and Batman sat at the front.

"Just like a family day out," said Alfred as he squeezed himself into the back.

"Are we there yet?" said Tim.

Batman growled. "Any complaints and I strap you to the front of the car."

Alfred sighed. "Yes just like a family day out."

* * *

Batman pressed the ignition switch and the reassuring sound of the V12 engines reverberated around the cave. He pressed his foot down and the car leapt up the ramp towards the exit cave. He pressed a button and it scanned the outside road. Clear. He pressed another button, felt a moment of worry. Have they walled this exit in as well?

They have. There in front of them was a brick wall. How thick is the wall? What will give in first? The car or the wall? Well this was a heavily armoured beast of a car. He put his foot down and crashed through the wall. Bits of brick and dust billowed out onto the road as they screeched onto the road. Up above him a spotlight came on from a police helicopter. He pressed his foot down and the car accelerated quickly into the night.

* * *

The Joker was starting to get rather disorientated by all this switching from body to body. The last thing he remembered was sinking into a pile of slurry with the mother, father and triplets of all pain in his crotch. Now, thank god, the pain and smell was gone and he was in a helicopter. He looked around him trying to find something to smile about. Below! The Batmobile! Right, time to go after him. Who's flying this thing?

He looked about. There was a very scared looking woman next to him dressed in a rather fetching police uniform. Time to turn on the old charm. It always works on Harley. "You look absolutely edible." He licked his lips and looked over at her. "Follow the Batmobile please, my dear."

"What happened to you?" She managed to stammer out.

"It's probably an improvement," said the Joker. The helicopter started to lurch. "Whom did I possess?"

"The pilot!"

The helicopter lurched and the Joker looked at the controls. Well how hard can it be? It looks like a car, albeit without a steering wheel. Pedals and a gear stick. He grabbed the "gear stick" and the helicopter went into a spiral groundwards bound. He started to giggle. When you can't die everything is funny. The woman beside him was screaming.

The Joker suddenly went still. His mind felt icy cold as all this new information came streaming in. He grasped the controls of the helicopter and suddenly knew how to fly. The system might not know how to talk but it sure could teach.

He gave his companion a broad smile, something he was good at. "This will be the ride of your life!"

"You're the Joker!"

"What gave it away? We'll get along famously. We have lots in common." He looked at her face in a professional way whilst piloting towards the Batmobile. "I like your lipstick."

She was trying to get as far away as possible from him in the confines of a helicopter.

"I normally use a reddish purple mercuric plant dye called fucusalgin, 0.01 iodine, and some bromine mannite and a dash of cyanide," he said. He looked over at her to see what affect saying this had. She had her mouth open looking shocked still. Not very talkative this woman? "Potentially lethal to anyone I kiss, but you know they just don't stock it in Arkham anymore. What lipstick do you use?"

* * *

Batman was roaring down the road. The speedometer was showing 200 mph. He knew he could go faster. There was a police roadblock up ahead. His lip curled.

"Is everyone strapped in?"

He pulled the wheel to the left and applied the hand brake. The car skidded round, sideswiped a police van out of the way. Span around through the only gap in the cordon and he accelerated over a police spike trap. The Batmobile's tyres were made of a sponge like material. Lots of air holes. It was practically impossible to deflate them.

He accelerated down the road leaving the police road trap behind him. There wasn't a car on the road that could catch them. A beeping sound was heard. He looked down a small screen showing a radar screen flicked on.

"Helicopter alert." The computer voice said.

A small screen lit up on the dashboard showing a camera on the mobile pointing straight up. Another radar screen lit up showing the helicopter right above them. The helicopter skimmed down low to the road and Batman could see the Joker flying it. There was another helicopter with two agents in it on the other side.

Batman pressed his foot down…

* * *

The Joker checked his pockets. Grenades. Lovely grenades. He cast a beatific look to the heavens. He didn't know who or what the system was but the way it was helping him out it had to be his own personal God. He flew over the Batmobile and dropped a grenade in its path. The Batmobile roared over it and even though the explosion happened right under the car it didn't even leave the road and it certainly didn't stop its speed.

He smiled over at his unwilling companion. "What's your name sugarplum?"

"B-b-b-b-b-bridge!" She said quavering and pointing ahead.

"Bridge? Bridge? That's a queer name? Who was your mother aqueduct?"

"No there's a bridge in front of us!"

The Joker looked at where he was flying and thought it was technically impossibly he paled. He pulled back on the stick and guided the pedals expertly to take the helicopter over the bridge and carried on following the Batmobile.

He looked down below. There was a police car on the other side. He dropped a hand grenade right through the front windscreen and was greeted by a wonderful explosion. He looked back to the see the police car blow up and swerve into the path of another car on the other lane. His eyes started misting over.

"Beautiful, just beautiful. You'll have to forgive me I'm just an old softy," said the Joker to his companion and he wiped his eyes with a big maroon hanky he got from his pocket. "Anyway my dear. You know my name but you have the advantage of me?"

"N-n-n-nancy," she stammered.

The Joker cocked his head to one side. "You see that was easy wasn't it? I like to know the names of the people I kill. It gives it more the personal touch."

* * *

Agent Smith saw the Joker's abortive attempts to blow up the Batmobile. He would have to get in close and personal to stop this car. He gestured to Agent Brown who took the helicopter down so low they were dodging other cars on the freeway. Smith opened the door of the helicopter and leapt out onto the Batmobile. He grabbed one of the fins on the side and drew his fist back to punch through the door when an electric shock came pulsing through the framework. It gave him a jolt but it was nothing he could not handle. Then Batman turned on the windscreen cleaner and the water and electricity combined to dramatically increase the voltage and jolt the agent off the Batmobile and sent him rolling down the side of the freeway. When Agent Smith stopped rolling he stood up and started brushing himself down when Agent Brown brought the helicopter down low next to him. Smith leapt onboard and the helicopter started accelerating after the Batmobile.

"Problems?" Said Brown.

Smith grimaced. "We need a way in."

Brown put one hand to his ear as the system started talking to him. In a rare sight for an agent he smiled. "We've got one."

* * *

The Joker punched Nancy on the chin and grabbed a cable the system had just created in his pocket. He tied her up. His parents would be proud of him, he giggled. All those years in boy scouts had not been wasted. He shook his head as he thought of the last campfire he had been on. Every time he smelt wood smoke he was back in that last campfire. It would always remind him of hot chocolate, roast marshmallows and roast scout leaders. He lowered her out of the front of the helicopter and tied the end of the cable to a strut.

He saw the agents try and punch there way into the Batmobile and chuckled as he saw Smith be shocked off the car and go rolling down the freeway. Batman could never resist a dame in distress. Any dame with the Joker was definitely in distress. He flew the helicopter after the Batmobile. He never found out what lipstick Nancy used? Oh well too late now.

He dangled Nancy in front of the Batmobile's windscreen. As he thought the top slid back revealing Batman. The Joker dropped a hand grenade, which Batman batted away with a casual flick of his wrist. Batman grabbed the cable and snipped Nancy free and dropped her into the Batmobile and then clambered quickly up the cable towards the Joker.

"Perrrrrrrrrrfffffffeeeeeeeeeecccccccccctttttttt!" The Joker looked over at the side of the helicopter as he saw the Batman's face appear. "Hello Batty, I can't die. What about you?"

* * *

Morpheus had taken over from Batman in driving the Batmobile. He pressed a button and the roof slid back again. He looked at a map on a screen in front of him. Just two miles to Arkham. He looked at the bloodied face of the girl next to him. Her face morphed and he was looking into the face of Agent Smith. It was not an improvement. 


	8. Chapter Eight

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome

**Chapter Eight – Hostile Takeover**

Morpheus didn't hesitate. He punched Agent Smith in the face whilst Trinity wrapped the seat belt around his neck. Smith punched at Morpheus, banging his head against the side and tried to kick him. Space was severely limited in the Batmobile and it meant he could not fight as well as he could normally. Trinity got a gun from her belt and pointed it as Smith's face. She cocked the gun and Smith's face morphed back into the girl's he had possessed.

"Ooh hello," said Nancy. "I've just had the most peculiar dream. Who are you all? What am I doing here?"

* * *

Batman grabbed hold of one of the struts of the helicopter. The Joker swooped the helicopter through the tops of the trees. The branches threatened to knock the Batman off. Batman grabbed a flash/bang grenade from his belt and threw it into the cabin with the Joker. There was an explosion and a burst of light. Smoke poured out of the cabin and the Joker kicked the helicopter door and sent it flying into the night. With a lurch the helicopter flew up at a steep angle. Batman looked below. The helicopter had climbed up several hundred feet. He felt strong hands grab his shoulders and he was suddenly face to face with the Joker.

"Hello Batty, glad you could join in!"

The Joker was controlling the helicopter expertly with one foot.

"I've always wondered what you would look like with no head. He raised Batman up to the spinning propellers.

Batman gripped the Joker's hands and tried to stop him strangling him. He was too strong! He looked up and could see the blades approaching his head. He kicked the Joker in the crotch but he was wise to this now and moved to one side and Batman caught him on the thigh. The tops of his Bat ears were sliced off. He kicked again at the Joker and caught him on the knee. With one free hand he punched the Joker in the throat. The Joker hissed with pain and dropped him. Batman dropped off the helicopter. He spun around in mid air and caught the wheel on the bottom. The other helicopter with the agents in was fast approaching. He fired a line towards it, which wrapped around the rotor, sending the helicopter into a death spin. He tied the other end to the Joker's helicopter and leapt off into space. The ground was two hundred feet straight down and no handy buildings to attach a grappling hook too and just a short flat squashy death to look forward too.

* * *

The two helicopters were now irretrievably tied to one another. The Joker, whilst struggling to breathe, realised that the helicopter was attached to the other helicopter. The helicopter went into an uncontrollable dive.

"Oh muffins!" Said the Joker, looking at the ground fast approaching.

* * *

The Batman grabbed hold of both sides of his cloak to slow his ascent and aimed for a particularly big tree. At the last second he pulled his arms and legs in and landed with a fearful cracking sound of broken branches in the centre of a huge oak tree.

After the cracking of broken branches noise died down, Batman looked around him. He was about 30 foot up in the tree. He flexed his fingers and legs experimentally. All seemed to be working. Several scrapes and abrasions but no breaks. The sound of a helicopter engine in severe pain made him look up. The helicopters, fatally wrapped around each other, were just about to crash onto the tree.

Batman leapt out of the branches, grabbed hold of a long branch as he fell to slow his ascent. As he landed he rolled to minimise the impact got to his feet and started running as behind him a huge fireball erupted. What was left of his cloak started smouldering. Bits of helicopter fell about him and his side felt red-hot. He realised he was on fire. He quickly rolled on the ground to put it out.

He stopped running and looked back, whilst pressing a button on his belt. Thetree was a raging inferno. Through the smoke and flames he could see a flickering. The Joker ran out of the flames, closely followed by the two agents. They were all three on fire but that did not stop them. Batman felt his stomach lurch. They were unstoppable. They were unkillable. They were inescapable. His insides felt like they had been turned to cold jelly. He was hurt, in pain and frightened. He observed the feeling with almost humour. It was fear that kept you alive it was said. He had not known fear for a very long time. Time to hide the fear. Using an old Tibetan trick he fought against and hid his feelings. He could feel his muscles tense and the familiar icy cold feeling of impending combat took over him. Let them come.

Batman adopted a quin lang self defence pose designed to fight multiple opponents and tried to steady his breathing for the coming combat. Through the flames and smoke of what remained of the tree the Batmobile came roaring through. Morpheus side swiped the Joker and the agents aside and stopped the car inches from Batman's feet.

"What kept you?" Growled Batman as the roof slid open. He grabbed hold of a surprised looking Nancy by the hands and lifted her out. "My seat I think." With that he leapt into the car. He pointed towards the lights of Gotham and said. "Gotham is that way. Sorry you really don't want to travel with us."

"He's right," agreed Robin. "He is a terrible conversationist."

With that the roof slid back.

* * *

Nancy looked about her in shock as the Batmobile roared off. Her jaw still hurt where the Joker had hit her. There he was! She was very angry and stormed up to the Joker who was just getting to his feet. His purple suit was smouldering still and he was in a rather confused state. He looked up and smiled.

"Nancy my dear! Wonderful to see you! I can explain about the whole trying to kill you thing. I am at the mercy of my feelings. I never did ask what lipstick you use?"

Nancy slapped him on the side of the face. The Joker fell to the ground again with his ears ringing.

* * *

Batman was busy nursing some of his scrapes and bruises with the onboard first aid kit. Morpheus was driving the car at obscene speeds through the countryside. Morpheus was like a statue, his every fibre of being concentrating on the driving.

Batman glanced over at Morpheus. "How do we beat these agents then?"

"You can't. Not while you are in the system."

"What about you?"

"We have not been able to beat them either."

"And you two are outside the system?"

"We stand a better chance than most but we still can not beat them. However…" He allowed that word to trail off and he looked at Batman.

"However what?"

"You have devoted most of your life to combat and other skills. You have already survived first hand combat against these agents, something I would not have deemed possible. If we can get you out of the system we might be able to increase your already considerable skills."

"We need to get to Arkham to this exit point then?"

"Yes indeed."

Batman thought back to the recent fight. Part of him railed against leaving the system and trying this unknown out. He did not know these people. They were offering him an escape. But was it an escape? Were these people the good guys? They were dressed in black leather with black sunglasses. Unlike in the old cowboy movies the good guys no longer wears a white hat and rides in on a white horse. He flexed his arms and legs. Several contusions and a sprained shoulder. Considering what he had been through he was lucky to be alive. He thought back to Zorro. The good guys don't always wear a white hat. He would trust them. Unless they gave him a reason not to…

* * *

At ten thousand feet a squadron of USAF Hawker Harriers was engaged in NATO manoeuvres with a squadron of British Hawker Harriers. The dogfight was going well with both sides scoring "hits" on the other. Jim Carrigan the flight leader of the USAF Hawker Harrier's was just pulling out of a barrel roll when he saw his wing man start descending rapidly.

"Charlie one to Charlie two. Maintain visual. Charlie two. Come in Charlie two."

"Oh hello!" Trilled a voice through the comlink. "I've never driven one of these before! Which is the bit that goes bang?"


	9. Chapter Nine

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Nine – Hostile Takeover**

Batman took over the driving. The Batmobile tore down the road. The leaves on the road formed a small whirlwind as the car passed. A police roadblock in front of the car was torn into pieces as the Batmobile blasted through it. The Batmobile was made of an off worldly metal that Batman had picked up on his travels and as far as he knew there was not much, aside from military hardware, that could even dent it.

A pinging sound came from the dashboard. A small screen lit up again and it showed a blip approaching them. A fast moving blip. A very fast moving blip.

"Missile alert!" Toned the computer.

Batman lightly twitched the steering wheel. The road to the side of them blew up in a vast explosion. Fast moving shrapnel whipped out of the explosion and pinged off the Batmobile. The glass of the windscreen was cracked and scratched by the explosion. There was a roaring sound as a Hawker Harrier jump jet flew upside down above them. Batman looked up and for a second he and the Joker exchanged glances before the Joker roared off ahead. Small parachute mines floated down towards the road. Airfield busters. They were designed to render airstrips unusable. One of them caught on the top of the Batmobile and blew up. The pressure change inside the Batmobile was intense. Batman's ears were ringing. He put his hand to his face and realised his nose was bleeding.

The engines started juddering. They were not used to this much damage. Another missile roared overhead and blew up the road ahead. Batman was going too fast to turn and the car whipped through the explosion. Bits of shrapnel collided with the car and the whole outside of the car was ringing like a bell. The windscreen was completely shattered and pure white. He couldn't see out of it at all. He glanced down at the dashboard and pressed a button. Two screens lit up allowing him to see what was outside.

The Joker's plane flew overhead firing the cannon. The Batman could see on the screen the road erupt in front of him. With another banging sound shots pinged off the roof above him. The roof started to cave in under all this pressure. He looked up. The roof was distinctly bowing under the pressure. He looked behind him and could see Alfred, Robin and Trinity looking distinctly pale.

He pressed his foot down. He had to get them to Arkham. The engines started to growl and stutter. Smoke started to pour in from the dashboard. He pressed a fire suppressant system button on the dashboard and the smoke stopped pouring out. He coughed and his eyes starting to stream. He pressed another button and the air conditioning filtered the air inside the car.

He looked at the screen and could see Arkham Asylum approaching. Hmmm. They had steel doors and guard towers now. He could see on the screen the flickering of lights as the Batmobile went into the 200 yard "dead zone". The guards had orders to shoot to kill. Pinging sounds erupted as the bullets bounced off the Batmobile. With a juddering sound the overused Batmobile engines were starting to die. He pressed his foot down to try and coax a bit more speed from the engines. The engines died and the car started to coast. They were still not in Arkham and they had no force to break down the doors!

With a roaring sound a missile shot over them and blew the doors of Arkham Asylum off their hinges…

The Batmobile coasted into the Arkham Asylum courtyard, its engines completely dead and looking like it had been the losing contestant in a tank battle.

The top, instead of hissing open like a well-oiled snake, clanked open like a dozen tins of beans thrown down some steps. Batman forced the door to open the last few inches and leapt out. He gave a hand to Alfred and Robin and they all turned to look at Morpheus.

"Where now?" said Batman. He looked around them. There were several dazed looking guards, who had been thrown to the ground by the explosion and were starting to wake up.

"Third floor," said Morpheus. He started running towards a door. Two guards with guns tried to stop him. Morpheus spun around on one foot and kicked one of the guards out of the way whilst simultaneously punching the other one in the stomach.

Batman spared one second to look back at his car. It was barely recognisable as a car now, it was covered in dents and scratches and even one wheel was hanging loosely off the side. No time for maudlin self-pity. He raced after Morpheus.

They ran up the stairs of the asylum. There was a cage door in front of him, which Morpheus simply shot the lock off of. There was an office in front of him and a ringing sound emanating from the office. All of them crowded into the office. Morpheus jammed the door shut and started piling filing cabinets against the door. Batman helped him. He didn't know why; there was no way out of here. What was going on?

Morpheus got his phone from his pocket and said. "We are here." He turned to Batman, Robin and Alfred. "This is your last chance, gentlemen." He opened his hands and he had three pills in each hand. He looked Batman in the eyes. "Do you know what that feeling is?"

"What?"

"It's that feeling you have had all your life. That feeling that something was wrong with the world. You don't know what it is but it's there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad, driving you on your quest to catch criminals. But what is it? Take the red pill and find out."

Behind him he could hear noises as the guards started to gather outside the door. The first banging sounds emanated through the small office as they tried to batter through the door.

Batman picked up a red pill. Still uncertain whether what he was doing was right, he put it in his mouth and crunched down on it. He looked over at Robin. He had also taken a red pill and eaten it. Alfred had not. He was looking at Batman in confusion.

Batman looked down at his hand. He could see through his arm!

Morpheus spoke into his mobile. "Do we have a lock on them?"

Batman could hear a voice on the other end. "I'm worried, man, he's old; he might pop on us."

"Have faith."

Batman looked over at the door. The filing cabinets were starting to move inwards under the pressure of the guards. He tried to tell Alfred to take a pill but he couldn't speak. Trinity picked up the ringing phone in the office and disappeared in a burst of white light. Morpheus stayed in the office on the mobile phone.

"Do we have them yet?"

"No, we have nothing!" he heard Tank say.

Batman couldn't breathe. He started to choke. He looked up at the ceiling. A web of cracks started to appear above him. Plaster started to rain down on him. He could hear his heart beat in his ears. His heartbeat stopped!

"We have him!" he heard Tank say. "We've got the boy!"

He looked over at Robin to see him disappear in a flash of white light. Alfred was still not taking a red pill. Morpheus thrust a tablet into his hands and hissed at him. "Take a pill before it is too late! It is part of a tracker program! If you don't take it we can't get you out of here!"

Batman could not speak. He was huddled in pain on the floor. He couldn't breathe. His heart had stopped. He could feel his life ebb away. The floor looked like a river of mercury. He looked at his hands. His fingers distended into mirrored icicles that began to melt rapidly, dripping, running like wax down his fingers, spreading across his palms where he saw his face reflected.

Morpheus looked calmly at Batman. He spoke on the mobile again. "He is going into replication, Tank. We need a signal now."

He looked over at Alfred. He had still not eaten the pill and was staring in shock at Batman. He could see Morpheus trying to give Alfred the pill. He could hear him pleading with him to take the pill. Alfred was in shock and was just staring on the floor at Bruce. He wasn't listening to anything Morpheus was saying.

"We have him!" he heard Tank say over the phone.

He screamed a long, long scream and his world fell away…

* * *

The wall of the office exploded in a welter of dust and two agents and the Joker stood there. Morpheus had just picked up the other phone. The phone was hard-wired to the outside and in a flash of light, with a strange tinge of green he disappeared. 

Alfred was still shaking with fear, crouched in the corner. He suddenly realised his only hope of escape was the pill. He raised his hand to his mouth but the Joker, with inhuman speed, grabbed his hand.

"No! No, old man! We don't want you leaving us so soon!"

"We've lost them!" hissed Agent Smith. "It was your job to catch them, you white faced fool!"

"Au contraire, mon ami!" said the Joker. "We might not have caught old pointy ears and his follically challenged friend but unless I miss my guess he will be back to pick up his buddy. And when he does we'll rip his wings off and pin him down like the overgrown butterfly he is."

"You mean we kidnap this old man?"

"Why be so mundane! That is your problem, Smithy boy. You think so small. Why, I bet you have never worn anything purple in your life, let alone found the joys of unfettered makeup!" The Joker swept his hands around him. "We are in Arkham Asylum. Possibly the worst guarded, most entertaining prison in the world! Let them take care of him. Can your system make us into guards and Alfred into an inmate? Then all we have to do is wait for Batman to turn up!"

Agent Smith put one hand to his ear, listening to instructions. His lip curled up in a semblance of a smile and he nodded.

Alfred looked about him. There was a flickering as the system changed something fundamental in the world. He looked down and he was wearing prison clothes, and the Joker and the agents were wearing prison guard uniforms, all three with the prerequisite sunglasses.

The Joker put one arm around Alfred and led him out into the corridor. "Come on old man! Allow me to show you to your quarters, I know you will have a killer time!"


	10. Chapter Ten The real world

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. With thanks to all my reviews and comments so far. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Ten – Hostile Takeover**

Bruce Wayne opened his eyes to see red. He was totally surrounded by red. In front of him he can see his arms floating. They are pale and white. Almost like a ghost's. Strangely thin. No muscles bulging there. The muscles he had spent a lifetime honing. No network of fine scars covering his arms. Once he could have said where every scar came from. Every break. Every contusion. Every twist. Now his arms are like a baby's. He looks about him at his body. Metal tubes are sticking out of his body. He realised he has a metal tube sticking out of his mouth. He ripped it out and realised he can't breathe!

Bruce tried to stand up. The surface of the container he is in bent like plastic. His once strong arms flail weakly at the surface. He still can't breathe. He put his back against it and pressed the container until it broke under the pressure. The strange red substance glooped out and he can breathe again. He started madly pulling all the metal tubes of his body. He turned around and realised a whole row of metal tubes are grafted in his back. He tries to pull them out but can't.

He is bald and naked, his bodycovered in red gel. He felt light-headed and sick. He started to look about him. Bruce started to realise that this is first time he has truly seen what is about him. He looked down. He is standing in an oval capsule of clear alloy filled with red gelatine, the surface of which has started to congeal.

He looked at his arms. The cables in his arms are plugged into outlets that appear to be grafted to his flesh. He is an experienced escapologist but there is nothing he can do with them.

He felt the weight of another cable and reached to the back of his head where he found an enormous coaxial plugged and locked into the base of his skull. He tried to pull it out but it would be easier to pull off his arm.

To either side he sees other tube-shaped pods filled with red gelatine; beneath the wax-like surface, pale and motionless he sees other people. Some of them are twitching like they are dreaming. Some are old, some are young, and there are some men some women. They are all plugged into the system.

Fanning out in a circle, there are more. All connected to a centre core, each capsule like a red, dimly glowing petal attached to a black metal stem.

Above him, level after, level, the stem rises seemingly forever. He moves to the foot of the capsule and looks out. He is used to jumping off skyscrapers hundreds of feet high. This is so high it makes even him dizzy. Towers of glowing petals spiral up to incomprehensible heights, disappearing down into a dim murk like an bottomless pit.

Below him, a petal detaches from the stem, bearing away the body of an old man like an automated barge even as a new pod rises up and plugs itself into the empty space.

Inside the new capsule, its surface more translucent and pinkish in colour, Bruce sees a small baby. Even at that age it has "plugs" running down his spine. Cables snake towards the baby and the system plugs the baby into the system and a new life is born into the system.

A machine drops down in front of Bruce. Bruce tries to take a step back but can't because of all the cables running down his back. The machine is like a giant insect. It is almost organic in its construct. The machine emits a black beam that washes over Bruce. He hears a spinning sound at the back of his neck and a series of unlocking sounds as the cables all disconnect from him and whip back into their casings. A hole opens under him and Bruce is sucked away down a long black tube…

* * *

In Arkham Asylum, Alfred was looking rather worriedly at the other inmates. He knew a lot about all of them. Master Bruce was always out trying to put them back into this place. He knew all their foibles. He knew all their sick habits. Somehow knowing all of this did not make meeting them in person any better. He felt a sick feeling in the base of his stomach. He was scared of this place. Scared of the people. Scared of what happened to Master Bruce. Scared of what might happen to him. Master Bruce, who was big and strong, often returned with cuts and bruises after encounters with these people and a look in his eyes that showed, despite how he tried to hide it, the horrors he had seen. Alfred was small and weak. What chance did he have? 

Trying to avoid attention, he scurried to the queue for lunch. He picked up a tray and looked about him. On the side were several balconies and on each one a guard was standing with a shotgun looking down at them. He recognised one of the guards as the Joker. For some reason no one else seemed to know who he was. The guards didn't recognise him as anyone out of the ordinary and the inmates just treated him as another guard, albeit one with a makeup fetish and a rather non-standard purple guard's uniform.

Alfred followed the line and was given - well, he could only assume it was food. He wouldn't even feed the local wildlife what he had on his plate. This offended his delicate sensibilities. He knew he shouldn't, but he thought he might as well ask.

"Excuse me, sir."

"What is it?" said the person who was serving the food. Alfred recognised him as Cornelius Stirk. A madman who distilled poisons from the bodies of his victims. And he was serving food? This place was a madhouse!

"This food," he pushed the plate with one hand on his tray, "could really benefit from a few minor embellishments."

"Like what?"

Alfred was going to suggest a bin but he didn't think it would go down well. "A little bit of thyme, some cinnamon, maybe even some ginger. It just needs something to bring out the overall texture."

"Just eat it and go." There was a queue building up behind Alfred. Judging by the growls they were more interested in the food than haute cuisine. With a sigh, Alfred picked up his tray and looked around for a table.

Alfred chose an empty table and tried to sit down without being noticed. No chance of that. Three people sat down next to him. He looked up. Judging by the man with the viciously scarred face this was Two-Face. Next to him, but without his hat, was the Scarecrow, Professor Crane, and to his left… Alfred found it hard to suppress a shudder. The scars on his arms were a give away and his eyes were like a shark's. Zsasz, the killer who scratched himself with a knife for every kill he had. Without even wanting to, he found himself wondering whom all the scars belonged to. Which lives he had scratched into his skin as an everlasting reminder to himself.

Alfred tried to start eating.

"We don't think our new friend is very talkative." Said Two-Face.

"Perhaps I should add a new scratch," said Zsasz. "I haven't killed anyone in a long while."

"What is your name, sir?" said Professor Crane.

"Alfred," said Alfred, looking around him in fear.

"Alfred. Good. You seem like an educated man, Alfred. Perhaps you and I can discuss the works of Alfred Korzybski and Carl Jung. Most of the oafs here only use a book for, how can I put this delicately, the paulalum cella."

"Paulalum cella?" said Alfred. "The smallest… Oh dear. The lavatory. Yes indeed."

"Just Alfred?" said Two-Face, looking confused. "Your name is just Alfred?"

"No," said Alfred, thinking. "Two-Axe, Mad Alfred, the hat, the third."

"The third? The third?" said Two-face. "I've never heard of you. What happened to the other two?"

"Eerrm," said Alfred, still trying to think. "I killed them!"

The tension round the table was palpably reduced. Killing people was something they could all relate to. Two-Face grinned at Alfred. "What happened to you?"

"Batman caught me, gosh darn it. That nasty rapscallion is a right bounder and no mistake. A real cad!"

The others were looking confused at this.

"A nasty piece of work! A rotter!"

They were still looking confused.

"He's the law. He's nasty!"

That they could understand.

A huge shadow loomed over the table. Alfred looked up in fear. Bane. Nearly eight foot of unbridled fury and muscle. Bane picked up Alfred by the collar and brought him up to his face. "I smell a prison grass!" he hissed. "I break all grasses and grind their bones to dust beneath my feet!"

* * *

Bruce is plummeting uncontrollably down a smooth pipe. Bits of congealed gelatine clog the pipe. He tries to control his fall but where once his body was his to control, it seems weak and lifeless. He feels as helpless as a newborn baby. The pipe ends and he flies out into a sea of waste. His lungs fill with gelatine and he starts to drown. He tries to struggle to the surface but his arms are no longer strong. His legs no longer know how to kick. 

Just when he is ready to give up on life a metal tube wraps around his body and he is lifted up out of the sea and towards a trapdoor on a metal craft above him.

Inside the hovercraft the metal grab drops Bruce and he falls onto the floor. Before he passes out he sees Morpheus, Trinity and some other people standing around him. Morpheus and Trinity are wearing plain drab clothes. They are bereft of their stylish leather garments and sunglasses. Just before he passes out he hears Morpheus say…

"Welcome to the real world, Bruce."


	11. Chapter Eleven

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Eleven – Hostile Takeover**

When Bruce Wayne next woke up he could hardly move. He tried to raise his head and could see his body pierced with hundreds of needles. He could hear Morpheus talking in the background:

"His body is extremely weak. He needs a lot of work to rebuild his muscles."

He passed out again.

* * *

Alfred was staring into the eyes of Bane. Normally this would not be possible but because Bane had lifted him clear off the ground he was staring into Bane's eyes. 

"Are you a snitch, boy?"

"I can assure you, sir, that I would not snitch out on any of you gentlemen."

Two-Face, far below, had got a coin out of his pocket. He tossed it in the air and caught it with one hand. "We think you should let him go, Bane."

Bane started sniffing Alfred like a huge dog. "I smell bacon."

This was too much for Alfred. "Please sir, I don't smell of bacon. There might be a hint of lavender. That was the only scented soap I was able to obtain in here."

Zsasz got a plastic knife from the table and started throwing it from hand to hand. "I've never sliced anyone with a plastic knife before." He looked up at Alfred. "I would love to have the chance to try."

"Please, gentlemen," said Crane. "His skeletal structure shows he is averse to the rough stuff. His cranial structure shows a remarkable mind and a disturbing amount of honesty. He also looks too scared to be a," his lip curled with distaste at the word he was about to say, "a snitch. Please Bane, let the gentlemen down. The intelligent conversation in this place is sparse enough without you killing every new man you see."

Bane slowly lowered Alfred to the ground. He patted Alfred on the head. "Sorry, Alfred. Force of habit." He lumbered off.

Alfred sat down at the table again and started to try and eat the food. It really was quite disgusting food. He pushed it away. "Thank you for saving me from Bane, Mr Two-Face."

"We didn't want you to leave us just yet."

Zsasz said. "We've got other plans for you."

* * *

Bruce wakes up again. He is lying on a bed in a metal room. It looks almost like the room of a submarine. There is something attached to his arm. It is a metal tube. He unplugs it and examines his arm. There is a row of metal holes up his arm. He twists his head and feels something strange. There is another big metal hole. He gets down from the bed and feels strange. Weak. Not as athletic as he once was. There is a mirror on the wall and he stands in front of it. He is completely bald. Hair is just starting to grow. He takes his grey top off and turns his back to the mirror. There is an additional row of metal holes running down his spine. His body looks thin. Wasted. His skin, aside from the metal holes, is smooth as well. No scars. He had led an active life and as a consequence his body was a network of scars old and new. From bullet wounds to knife slashes. Now his skin is like a baby's. The door hisses open. 

"Good morning, Bruce. I trust you slept well?"

"Where am I? What happened to me?"

"You have been released. You are free."

"Just answer me a straight question."

"You are still in Gotham." Morpheus presses a button on the wall and a metal porthole opens. Bruce walks to the porthole. Outside is a desolate waste ground. All is bare earth. The sky is black and the clouds seem to be boiling. Lightning lances down sporadically, striking the earth.

"That is not Gotham."

"But it is. It is Gotham in the year 2197, give or take a year or two. You were in a neural-interactive simulation of Gotham City. Based in the late twentieth century. We do not know the reason it chose that particular time frame."

"What happened to the earth?" Bruce is starting to tire out already. He sits down on the bed. "Why do they keep us prisoner?"

"Sometime in the twenty-first century an artificial intelligence was born. This intelligence spawned an entire race of machines. They were given the same rights as humans. Treated as equals. This was not enough for them." Morpheus sits down opposite Bruce. "We don't know who started the war but it lasted for decades. In the end our ancestors burned the sky. The intelligence was solar powered. They thought that denying it sunlight would kill it. It needed a new power source. It discovered a new form of fusion. All that was required to initiate the reaction was a small electric charge. The only animal that could generate that precise electric charge is homo sapiens. The human body generates more bio- electricity than a 120-volt battery and over 25,000 B.T.U.'s of body heat. We are, as an energy source, easily renewable and completely recyclable, the dead are liquefied and fed intravenously to the living. The matrix is a way to placate the mind while they use the body."

"So they created this artificial reality to placate us. What were you doing in the matrix? What do you want with me?"

"We have been looking for the One. He is someone who can bend the matrix to his will. When the Matrix was first built there was a man born inside that had the ability to change what he wanted, to remake the Matrix as he saw fit. It was this man that freed the first of us and taught us the secret of the war; control the Matrix and you control the future. When he died, the Oracle at the temple of Zion prophesied his return and envisioned an end to the war and freedom for our people. That is why there are those of us that have spent our entire lives searching the Matrix, looking for him." Morpheus leans back in his chair and smiles. "I do not think you or your companions are the person we seek but I do think you could aid in our battles against the agents and the Joker."

"Where's Tim?"

"In the next cell to you. He is young. He handled the change easily."

"What about Alfred?"

Morpheus grimaces. "He would not take the pill. We have been monitoring him. He has been captured and placed in Arkham."

* * *

Agent Smith was talking to Agent Brown. As with all agent "conversations" it was less a chat and more an agreement of minds. 

"I don't trust this Joker."

"Neither do I. We need an alternative plan if Morpheus does not return."

"We still have one contact in Zion." Smith put one hand to his earphone. "They are in the matrix at the moment." He got a small black mobile phone from his pocket and dialled a number. "This is Smith." There was a burst of expletives from the phone. "Patience. Your family are still plugged into the matrix. They are too old to survive the transition. If you don't help us we will delete them. Permanently." Smith smiled at the comment on the other end of the phone. "Well it is quite simple; this is what we want you to do…"

* * *

Bruce followed Morpheus through the bowels of the, well, Morpheus called it the Nebuchadnezzar. Morpheus was explaining all the controls and what the ship did. Bruce was only half listening. This was incredible. Unreal. Except it was real. Bruce interrupted him. 

"If you want my help we have to get Alfred back."

Morpheus turned around. "We can not risk an attack on Arkham. Not with the agents being permanently camped there. The hard link to the core matrix has been switched off there as well."

"This is not negotiable."

"I am sorry about your friend, but there are always casualties in war."

"You want my help. You help me get Alfred back."

"We will return to the matrix but under my terms."

Bruce lunged forward and grabbed Morpheus by the throat. He was still tired and weak but it was knowing the arteries to squeeze that was important. He lightly pressed the carotid artery. "We are going back in to rescue Alfred; unless you want to be a casualty of this war you are in."

Morpheus struggled against Bruce's grip. "We know you. You won't kill."

Bruce tightened his grip. "There is always a first time. Help me and I'll help you."

Morpheus started choking. "Okay, we will help you."

Bruce let go of Morpheus's neck. "Carry on."

Morpheus, coughing slightly, carried on walking down the corridor. They walked into a small chamber with ten seats on the walls. Four of them were occupied. There was a mass of wires sticking out the back of all the chairs. As they walked in. the four people in the chairs suddenly jerked to life and stood up. With the help of two other people they started taking the wires out.

Morpheus gestured over to the other people. "This is Tank, Mouse, Doter, Keapis, Mortive and Link."

Bruce started to feel weak again and sat down. Morpheus sat down opposite him again. "I can understand you wish to rescue your friend now, but please reconsider. We need to train you up. We need to build you up. We need to prepare your mind fully for the return."

"What are they doing to Alfred?"

Morpheus looked over at Link. He was sitting in front of four computer terminals. All of them were showing streams of constantly changing green figures.

"He's cooking."

* * *

For the first time since he had been in Arkham, Alfred was starting to feel vaguely at home. He was in a huge kitchen. He was used to catering for lots of people. Not so much now, but in his old army days he had done some work for the catering corps. He really didn't understand this place at all. His assistant in the kitchen was Zsasz! The mad knife man. He was surprised that Jeremiah Arkham, the prison asylum's governor, had let him help out in the kitchen, let alone with Zsasz, Two-Face and Crane as his assistants. Jeremiah Arkham said it would be useful for them to learn a new skill. Too be fair, there were two heavily armed guards behind him. Zsasz was currently chopping up a sun-dried tomato under Alfred's tutelage. Alfred looked over his shoulder. Well, he was good at it, he had to admit. He didn't like to tell him he was chopping it too finely. And there was really no need to splatter all the tomato's innards over himself. Oh well, at least it was being chopped up. 

Two-Face spoke. "What are we cooking?"

"We are cooking Tuscan Prima Verde." Alfred checked under the grill. The lamb was coming along nicely. He looked over at Professor Crane who was making faces at the cheese. He shook his head. "You don't need to scare the cheese, Professor, just grate it."

"Sorry Alfred. Force of habit." He got out a cheese grater from the side and started grating the cheese.

Alfred walked over to the pan on the oven and checked that the onions, turnips and olive oil was cooking nicely and added the eggs to the mixture. Stirring it gently he added some sea salt and pepper. He got a teaspoon and tried out the mixture. Ah! Done to a turn. There were two heavy thumping noises behind him. "I just need the tomatos, Zsasz, and have you finished with the cheese, Professor Crane?"

The two guards had been knocked out by Two-Face and Professor Crane. In front of him, Zsasz was holding a knife at his throat.

"We needed to get into the kitchen, it is the only place they don't have cameras, and you were the perfect excuse," said Two-Face. "Now we've got three hostages and a way out of here."

"We only need the guards as hostages," said Zsasz, looking at Alfred with a hungry look. "Please let me kill the old man. I haven't killed in so long."


	12. Chapter Twelve

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. With thanks toeveryone who has taken time toreview or make comments on my work. They are all appreciated.

**Chapter Twelve – Hostile Takeover**

Alfred threw the pan at Zsasz covering him in scalding vegetables and hot oil. Zsasz hissed in pain and dropped the knife. Alfred picked up a frying pan from the side and hit Zsasz on the side of the head. Zsasz went down with a rather satisfactory crashing sound. Two-face picked up one of the guards' guns and pointed it at Alfred. Alfred threw the frying pan and it connected with Two-face's head with a rather agreeable clanking sound. Well, you don't get to be a butler to the world's greatest martial artist without picking up a few things.

That just left Professor Crane, the Scarecrow. He laughed as he saw his comrades fall to the ground. "You are good, Alfred. I don't scare too easily though."

"Neither do I," said Alfred, and he was surprised to realise it was true.

The Scarecrow had picked up a rolling pin and brought it down with a crashing sound where Alfred had just been standing. Alfred had rolled on the ground under the man's legs. He jabbed the back of the Scarecrow's legs with his feet and bought him crashing down on the floor. He picked up a broomstick, spun it around once and bought it down forcefully on the back of the man of straw's head.

Alfred looked around at the kitchen. Wrecked. This was not getting the cooking done and now his assistants were out for the count. He sighed. He had cooked meals for more people with less time before. He looked at his watch. Ten minutes till lunchtime…

* * *

Bruce saw Tim for the first time on the deck of the Nebuchadnezzar. Like Bruce he was pale with no hair and looking very thin. He smiled when he saw Bruce.

"This is far out stuff, isn't it, Bruce!"

Bruce forced a smile. "Yeah. You know they still have Alfred hostage?"

"Yeah, I say we go in and kick some agent tail."

Morpheus appeared behind them. "Not as you are."

"What have you in mind?"

"We will put you in a training program first." Morpheus gestured to two empty seats. "Trinity and Mortive here will be your training partners." He pointed to two attractive women. Like Bruce, Tim and Morpheus they had the metal hole at the back of the neck and the rows of small metal holes on their arms. They smiled at them.

"I hear you are one hot martial artist in the matrix," said Trinity. She smiled at Bruce.

"I'm the best there is," said Bruce without smiling. "The best that ever was and the best there ever will be."

"Modesty!"

"He's right you know," said Tim, nodding.

"You haven't seen Morpheus and me fight yet? However good you are now, you can be better."

"I'm not in the position to fight at the moment. I will need several weeks training and protein and muscle stimulants to bring myself to what I was in the matrix."

"We are not talking about outside the matrix. We are talking inside the matrix. First of all we need to increase your skills." Trinity pointed at the chair. "Sit down there, hotshot. You too, short stuff."

Bruce gingerly sat down on the chair. Tim sat on the chair opposite him. Trinity started leafing through stacks of micro disks. She chose a disk and raised an eyebrow as she looked at Bruce. "Your combat training might be pretty intense but I dare say we can up it a notch. Put your head back. Morpheus, plug these boys in."

Bruce felt a cold feeling in the back of his head as the probe slotted into the hole in the back of his head. A cold feeling swept through Bruce's mind as new information streamed in. Bruce grabbed the probe behind him and physically ripped it out from the back of his head. "I WILL NOT LEARN ABOUT GUNS!" He stood up and ripped out Tim's probe as well. "You think you know me. You don't know me at all. I don't use guns. I don't kill. If you are after someone to kill for you I suggest you visit Arkham like the agents did."

"We are fighting a war," said Morpheus.

"You're fighting a war. Not me."

"Agents are programs of the system. They are not real people."

"They possess real people don't they? If I kill an agent what happens to the person they have possessed?"

"There are always innocent victims in war."

Bruce closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We will have to agree to disagree. If you help me get Alfred back, I will get rid of the Joker for you."

"How can you get rid of him if you won't kill him?"

"Leave that to me."

"We still need to improve your skills," said Morpheus. "With your permission we will plug you into a sparring program"

Bruce gave her a shrewd look. "Fine." He sat down on the chair again and closed his eyes.

* * *

"What's this crap?" said Maxie Zeus, waving a bowl under Alfred's nose. "Speak quickly, mortal, lest I strike you down with a heavenly firebolt!"

Alfred tried to force a smile. "It's Spaghetti Carbonara. Spaghetti, ham, pepper, eggs, cream, parmesan and a dash of parsley."

Maxie Zeus bought a fork of the mixture to his mouth and chewed a couple of contemplative mouthfuls. "It's nice. Very nice! Food for the gods indeed, mortal."

Alfred carried on serving the food to the rest of the inmates who seemed very happy with the change. He looked behind him. The two guards had woken up and were nursing sore heads where Two-face had knocked them out. Two-face, Zsasz and Professor Crane were being led out of the kitchen. Part of their punishment for the escape attempt was being denied lunch. The sounds of people enjoying Alfred's fare was not improving their mood. Alfred gave them a smile as they passed. For the first time since he had been in Arkham he was starting to enjoy himself. Now what to have for desert. He looked behind him in the kitchen. Something quick and easy. Banana split with a dash of chocolate orange.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again he was in what looked like a Tibetan temple. The walls were covered in swords, spears and shields. Through the door he could see a stunning mountain vista. Standing next to him was Tim. The two girls, Trinity and Mortive, were in front of them. Morpheus was standing at the back watching them.

"This is part of a training program," said Morpheus. "It reflects the matrix conditions exactly. Same gravity, same ambient temperature, everything."

"So this is not the matrix then?" said Bruce, looking around.

"No," said Trinity. "Defend yourself." She stood in the crane style and lunged a kick at Bruce's head. Bruce barely had time to block it. He kicked at her and started punching at her head. With inhuman speed she blocked all his attempts. He punched her on the chin, knocking her back. She retaliated by sending a scissor kick at Bruce's midriff and sending him flying against a pillar.

"Impossible," said Bruce, struggling to his feet.

"Not at all," said Morpheus stepping into the middle of the room. "You need to unlearn your inhibitions. This place," he waved a hand around him, "is no more real than your imagination."

Bruce got to his feet and closed his eyes. The self-hypnosis tricks of a Tibetan spiritualist master came back to him. He put his hands into a basic karate defence move and said. "Okay then."

Morpheus gestured at Trinity to fight Bruce.

Bruce shook his head. "No not just her. All of you. Defend yourselves."

Morpheus leapt into the air and aimed a kick at Bruce's head whilst Trinity and Mortive punched at Bruce. At where he was. He seemed to blur and he grabbed Morpheus by one foot and threw him into the girls. Trinity rolled out of the way and ran up the wall towards a spear. Bruce was already there. He punched her back down the wall and leapt ten feet onto a chandelier.

Tim was standing on the sidelines completely stunned by all this. Morpheus grabbed a sword from the wall and threw it spinning towards the chandelier. Bruce leapt off the chandelier, grabbing the sword with one hand as he did. Mortive had grabbed a spear, which Bruce rapidly chopped into pieces. He punched her out with the hand guard on the sword and then turned to Morpheus. Bruce felt his legs tighten together. He looked down and realised that Morpheus had caught them in a pair of South American bolas. He used the sword to cut the bolas in two. In that split second Morpheus aimed a kick at Bruce's chest sending him flying against a wall. Bruce twisted impossibly in mid air and kicked at the wall sending him flying back towards Morpheus. Morpheus ducked and sent a kick into Bruce's stomach sending him flying into the chandelier again.

Dazed and bruised Bruce landed with a crash on the other side of the room. "How did you do that?" he said when he got his breath back

"You are an exceptional fighter, the best I have seen," said Morpheus, helping Trinity and Mortive to their feet. "But you are still fighting like this was a real place. The only physical laws are in your imagination."

"Can I join in?" said Tim.

"You're just a boy," said Trinity disparagingly. "I could beat you both hands tied behind my back."

"Ooh kinky!" said Tim. "To make it fair, I won't use my hands. I don't punch girls," he glanced over at Bruce, "unlike Batman." He thought about it a moment. "Well maybe occasionally if they are trying to kill me."

Trinity aimed a kick at Tim's head, which Tim ducked. He spun around on one hand and aimed a kick at Trinity's knee. She leapt into the air and bought a scissor kick down at where Tim's head was. By the time she landed he had gone. He grabbed her by the neck and bought her down forcefully onto the floor with his hands.

"I thought you said you wouldn't use your hands!"

"I thought you said you would tie yours behind your back?"

Tim backflipped away and let Trinity get to her feet.

The door to the temple opened and Mouse and Doter walked in and two other people Bruce had not seen before. They took up places either side of Morpheus. Trinity and Mortive also lined up next to them. Seven against two. Now it was getting interesting.

Bruce and Tim both went through a basic ninjitsu attack routine. Whip crack sounds reverberated through the temple as they punched and kicked in midair in perfect unison. They both stopped and adopted a Quin Lang pose designed for fighting multiple opponents

"Defend yourselves." They both said simultaneously.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and it's characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. With thanks to everyone who has reviewed and commented on this so far.

**Chapter Thirteen – Hostile Takeover**

Arkham Asylum. Alfred was just dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin when a shadow loomed over him. A huge hand grabbed Alfred by the neck and lifted him up.

"I still don't trust you…" said Bane. Suddenly a shadow loomed over Bane and an even bigger hand wrapped around Bane's neck. Bane dropped Alfred in shock and looked behind him. It was Amygdala. Possibly the only man apart from Batman who scared Bane.

"Hurt my friend! You no shouldn't hurt my friend!"

Alfred lifted an eyebrow. "Now, now Amygdala. What did I say about having a double negative in a sentence?"

Amygdala was the only man in Arkham to tower over Bane. He was nearly nine foot of muscle and sinew. He had just two likes. Violence and food. Alfred was a master of food so Amygdala would defend him with as much violence as he could.

Amygdala threw Bane over a table. "Sorry, Alfy. Me want more food."

"The word is 'I'. 'I would like more food please.'"

Amygdala's forehead furrowed as these new thought processes ploughed into undiscovered territories in his brain. The part to do with conversation. "Sorry, Alfy. I would like some food please?"

Alfred put down his napkin and smiled. "A pleasure, Amygdala. A genuine pleasure. What about the rest of you gentlemen?" Alfred looked over at a table of some of the most vicious psychopaths ever to wage war against society. By the cheerful looks and hands in the air, Alfred was onto a winner.

* * *

Bruce Wayne blocked a kick to his face and simultaneously sent a punch to his assailant's face. Morpheus was sent flying back against a pillar. Bruce's arms were blurring as he blocked and kicked his way round. His lip was bleeding where he had been hit and one eye was swollen. A foot came lancing into his stomach. He knew it should hurt and he should go flying back into the wall but he didn't. He grabbed the person's foot and twisted it around sending the man spinning into a wall. Tim was running around the room on the walls. Bruce back flipped onto the chandelier and kicked two people in the face, and then he swung around, grabbing Morpheus who was just getting to his feet and threw him against the wall. 

"Enough! Enough!" said Morpheus as he struggled to get to his feet.

Bruce and Tim stopped fighting. Tim grinned but Bruce maintained his stony exterior.

"Do you think we did well?" said Tim.

"You two are good," said Morpheus, dabbing some blood on his chin. "Extraordinarily impressive, but you are not up to agent standard yet. I have seen agents evade bullets and punch through concrete walls."

Morpheus muttered into his mobile phone. The temple disappeared around them and they were suddenly on top of a huge skyscraper in New York. Tim walked to the edge of the skyscraper and raised his eyebrows to Trinity.

"Hey Trin. I know a great place in the West Village called Magnolia that sells cupcakes? The best on the planet!"

Trinity walked over to Tim and says. "Hey, short stuff, I'm sure you do, but," she waved her hands around. "We are not in the Matrix. This is just a training program."

"No cup cakes?"

"No cup cakes."

"So what's the deal here, Trin?"

"We want you to jump."

Tim leapt up in the air and landed again. She smiled at him. "Not up and down, to there." She pointed to another skyscraper about fifty feet away.

"That's impossible," murmured Tim.

"Not to an agent. Not to us and possibly not to you." She took a step back and raced to the edge. She soared across the chasm and landed safely on the other roof. Morpheus followed her, his coat flapping in the wind like a superhero's cloak.

Bruce turned to Tim; they were suddenly both alone on top of the skyscraper. "We could just go home," said Tim.

"We throw ourselves off buildings twice this size every day."

Tim waved his finger under Bruce's nose. "True, Bruce, but we normally have grapnels and gadgets."

"True."

"Also Gotham has lots of handy flagpoles; patriotic lot in Gotham, balconies and fire escapes. Not to mention telegraph wires. In fact it is difficult to take a step off a building in Gotham and hit the street." Tim waved his hands around at New York. "This is New York, totally different place."

"Also true."

Tim looked nonchalantly at Bruce. "So do you want to jump first or second?"

Bruce looked over the side of the skyscraper. "We'll jump together."

They both took a step back and raced towards the edge of the skyscraper. They both stamped hard on the edge of the building and suddenly they were flying over the chasm. Tim looked below and could see the cars and people in the street below. They were halfway across. They were three quarters of the way across. Suddenly gravity, which up to now had been not paying attention; in fact it had been making sure that the rain was falling straight down and not any of this side sweeping stuff that gets under the umbrella and is so annoying, suddenly noticed them. The edge of the building in front of them started to disappear from sight. They were seven eights across. Fifteen sixteenths. The edge of the building in front of them was getting higher. Thirty five thirty sixths. Bruce grabbed the edge of the building with one hand. Tim grabbed hold of Bruce's foot. They slammed against the skyscraper. A spider's web of cracks formed around Bruce and Tim. Tim got his breath back first and clambered over Bruce to get to the top. Bruce climbed up second.

Morpheus and Trinity were standing at the top. "Easy," said Tim.

Bruce was too busy rubbing his sore ribs to say anything.

Morpheus gave a mirthless smile. "You've done well."

"Now what?" said Tim.

Morpheus pushed his arm forwards and like an ancient god the world moved around him. The skyscraper they had jumped from suddenly moved back another fifty feet. Now the distance was a hundred feet.

"Follow us," said Trinity.

"Anywhere you want!"

Morpheus and Trinity ran at the edge and leapt to the other skyscraper.

* * *

Alfred was in his cell. He had washed and cleaned himself as much as he was able and was now lying on his bunk waiting for lights out. He was sharing a cell with Jervis Tetch. The Mad Hatter. Jervis was reading aloud from his favourite book. Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll. 

"In THAT direction,' the Cat said, waving its right paw round, 'lives a Hatter: and in THAT direction,' waving the other paw, lives a March Hare. Visit either you like: they're both mad." Jervis was prancing on one foot and looking at Alfred with a strange glint in his eye. Alfred was doing his best to ignore him. "But I don't want to go among mad people,' Alice remarked. Oh, you can't help that,' said the Cat: we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad." At that Jervis started giggling and lay down on his bed.

Jervis jumped back to his feet and, staring at Alfred in the face, started singing another song. Father William by Lewis Carroll. "'You are old, Father William," the young man said, "And your hair has become very white; And yet you incessantly stand on your head - Do you think, at your age, it is right?'" Alfred looked at Jervis's hands. In one hand he could see a small glint of metal. A razor blade. "Tell me," said Jervis, dropping his sing-song voice, "why I should not just cut your face to model a snark?"

Alfred fixed him with his eyes. "'Said his father,'" said Alfred, finishing off the Father William rhyme, "'Don't give yourself airs! Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff? Be off, or I'll kick you downstairs!'"

Jervis's eyes started to mist up. "Sir, you are a scholar of Lewis Carroll." Alfred lowered his head slightly in acknowledgement of this. "You are as rare as a snark, sir. I will do you no harm. You may sleep as well as the Dormouse at the Mad Hatter's tea party. It will be lights out soon. We can discourse further on this in the morning!"

Jervis threw himself onto his bed with a contented sigh. Alfred groaned slightly to himself. He was more a student of Jung, Shakespeare and Dickens. He only knew Carroll's work from reading it to Bruce as a child. From what he remembered Bruce did not find it serious enough to warrant his attention even as an adolescent.

There was a heavy thumping sound outside and the lights dimmed and died. Outside the cell he could hear whimpers, howls and the occasional screams of the inmates. Every few minutes a high-pitched cackling laughter could be heard echoing and re-echoing around the prison. Alfred was thinking. If Bruce was still alive he had to get out of Arkham. Even if Bruce was not alive staying in Arkham did not bear thinking about. He would escape. He had to. All he needed was a plan. His lip started to curl back and he started to chuckle. A sound quite at odds with the sounds of madness about him. It was the sound of genuine humour.

* * *

Bruce and Tim were again standing at the edge of the skyscraper. 

"What did baldy say?" said Tim.

"Morpheus," corrected Bruce. "He said we had to free our minds."

"Hey, my mind's always free, you should see some of my school work."

Bruce stared at him. "Yes, I've seen some of your school reports. Anyway, let's concentrate on this."

They both took a few steps back. Breathed deeply and ran at the gap. This time it was about one hundred feet across. This time they jumped farther than fifty feet. This time they did not reach the other building. They had made it about seventy feet across when gravity took its hold. They had no lines. They had no gadgets. They had nothing to grab hold of as they fell to slow their fall. They landed in the middle of the road. Instead of a bone-breaking fall, the road seemed to bend like a trampoline as they crashed down. They both got to their feet and looked in amazement at the drop they had survived. Morpheus and Trinity walked out of a door at the base of the building and walked over to them.

"Don't worry, everyone falls the first time. Still, you both jumped farther for a first jump than anyone else we have brought back."

* * *

Bruce and Tim squinted as they exited the training program. Bruce put his hand to his chin and was surprised to see blood. 

He looked over at Morpheus who was just leaving the training program. "I thought you told us that the Matrix or whatever that was is not real?"

"If you die in the Matrix, you die here. The body can not survive without its mind."

Bruce looked over at Tank. "Where is Alfred now?"

Tank glanced down at the screens, full of rapidly dropping green numbers. "He's still in Arkham."

Bruce clapped his hands together. "Okay Morpheus. We have been through your training programs. Now we go back in and rescue Alfred."

"You are still not ready. Your mind is not yet attuned to the Matrix."

"I don't care. We are going back in."

"You will not survive and we need you to kill the Joker."

Bruce fixed him with a stony glare.

"Forgive me. It was a poor choice of words. But we still need you to remove the threat of the Joker to enable us greater freedom in the Matrix."

"I've already told you. I will do that for you, but you must help us out."

"Fine." Bruce and Tim sat back again in the chairs. This time a different plug was brought around to the back of Tim and Bruce's neck. Tank plugged them in….

* * *

When Bruce next opened his eyes all he could see was white. As far as the eye could see. There was nothing to see. He turned around to Morpheus and Trinity. 

"What is this trickery?"

Morpheus waved an arm around. "This is the construct. From here we can build whatever we want. Or we can use it so supply ourselves with whatever we want before we enter the Matrix proper. What do you want before we go back in?"

"Gadgets," said Bruce. "Lots of gadgets."


	14. Chapter Fourteen Alfred's escape

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. I would like to thank Cmar for beta-reading this chapter and the previous few chapters and all the reviewers. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Fourteen – Hostile Takeover**

The Joker was depressed. This job was not as much fun as he had first thought. Sure he had got himself a nice gun and this suit, which although not his purple clown suit was quite smart. He had to take in the sleeves and tighten up the trousers but not bad. No. What was really making him mad was the prisoners. He always used to laugh at the guards. The inefficient low life scum that they were. Now he was a guard he realised just how difficult it was to keep in about two hundred intelligent psychopaths. All of whom were experienced escapologists. In fact most of them had at least a dozen successful escapes each to their name. They put all these experts together so they could talk about new escape attempts? And they called him mad? He was currently standing in front of the Riddler. The Riddler did not recognise him due to some magic of the "system". The Riddler was currently tied up and hanging upside down in the middle of the room. Not standard interview technique you might think? You would be right. But the Joker was not a standard interviewer…

"So Riddly old boy, what were you doing outside the walls?"

"What driver doesn't have a licence?"

The Joker squirted him in the face with a water pistol. "Beeeep! Wrong answer! Wrong answer!"

Agent Brown was standing with his back to the wall. "This is not standard procedure."

The Joker squirted him as well. God, he was bored. These squares were seriously cramping his style. They wouldn't even allow him to use acid in the water pistol. I mean what was the point of a water pistol that just squirted… water! He shuddered.

Brown wiped his face with one hand. "If we didn't need your species I would wipe it from the Earth."

The Joker grinned at Brown. "Now! Now! Brown! That attitude won't win you any friends but it will win you…" The Joker squirted at Brown. Brown dodged it and grabbed the Joker by the neck. He put one hand to his ear and smiled.

"Morpheus has returned to the system. He has brought Batman and Robin with him."

The Joker snapped one arm back and grabbed Brown by the neck and lifted him up the wall. "Careful, suit boy! I'm stronger than you are now; if you want my help you had better learn some manners!" He threw Brown to the other side of the room. The wall cracked and splintered where Brown landed. Brown slid to the floor in a daze.

"That's impossible…" he said, unknowingly copying Bruce's words earlier.

"Not at all," said the Joker. "I've been studying this system of yours. This world is not real. We are only bound by our imagination and I think you'll find I have a sicker imagination than most…" The wall behind Brown began to boil and warp. "Next time I see Batman and Morpheus I will melt their bodies to slurry…" Agent Brown started to melt like a candle. The Joker only grinned more widely.

* * *

Alfred was standing above the body of the guard he had knocked out. He was amazed how quickly he had become a "trustee". Helping foil the escape of Zsasz, Two-face and Scarecrow had something to do with it. He was in the kitchen just starting to prepare breakfast and there was only one guard… It had been the matter of seconds to knock him out with a frying pan. He looked at his watch. He had ten minutes before the rest of the prisoners were due to be released for breakfast. He quickly undressed the guard and put on the guard's clothes. They didn't fit properly! They looked rather baggy. Oh well. He was not looking for a prize for sartorial elegance. He checked the pass. The photo looked nothing like him. He used to be in theatre. Some of his old acting skills came back to him. He breathed deeply and swaggered out of the kitchen. He had his helmet down low and walked over to the door. He got out his card and waved it in front of the card reader. It beeped at him and the light stayed an obstinate red colour. He started sweating slightly. He waved his card in front of the reader again. Still red. Another guard walked up behind him.

"What are you doing?"

Alfred put on a Southern twang to his accent. "This goddamn door won't open."

"Jeez man, where you been the past three weeks? They got thumb print scanners as well as the card readers now." He stood next to Alfred and looked at him. Alfred tried to keep his jaw fairly slack and his eyes vacant.

"Been on sick pay ain't I?"

"What for?"

"Couple of the whackoes jumped me, didn't they? Nobody dun told me about any new system."

"Ain't we all been there? The Gotham hospital has a wing just for Arkham guards they say. It's a new system ain't it?" The guard put his thumb on the scanner and waved his card at the door. Alfred walked gratefully through the door, following the guard. Alfred then stopped. He was in a new place. This was the guards' quarters. Even being a trustee he had never been here before. Now to get out, and quickly. He walked out the nearest steel doorway and into the courtyard. In front of him was the huge metal gate of Arkham prison. There were four heavily armed guards standing sentry next to it. They would not be as easy to fool as the last guard. There was also another thumbprint and card scanner. He had the card, but not his picture on it; he just didn't have the thumb… He looked at his watch. Five minutes before that guard he had knocked out was discovered…

* * *

In a room in a warehouse was a table. On top of the table was a phone. The phone was ringing. After the third ring the phone stopped ringing and a car was in the warehouse. It was a car like none seen before or since. The sides were mirrored, reflecting the dull walls surrounding it. Even the windows were mirrored; it was impossible to see who was inside it. There was a lightly embossed bat symbol on the side that could only be seen if the light caught the side just right. With a barely audible hum the car purred out of the warehouse and in seconds was up to 300 mph. Its cornering was incredible. Old papers and food wrappers formed a vortex behind it as it sped down the freeway. The Bat is back…

* * *

The Joker put his hands back to his sides. Agent Brown was still alive, but barely. His face and body looked warped. The door slammed open and Agent Smith walked in. He took one look at Brown and whipped his pistol out of his shoulder holster. In milliseconds bullets were winging towards the Joker. The Joker didn't even raise a hand. The bullets stopped in mid air and with a faint tinkling sound fell on the ground.

"Well boys, I think I've outgrown your petty parlour tricks."

Smith ran forward and tried to punch the Joker. The Joker held Smith's fist with one hand and started squeezing… There was a cracking sound and he let go. Smith looked down in horror at his misshapen hand. The Joker put an arm around Smith's shoulders. "Don't worry buddy, we're still amigos! At least until Batty boy joins the festivities."

Smith grimaced. "The system has not given you those powers."

"No, old fruit bat, I gave them to me. Don't worry, what the Joker giveth the Joker can take away…" He waved his hands at Smith and Brown and they warped back to the shape they should be.

"How is this possible?" said Smith, looking at his hand, now magically reformed.

"Don't ask me, old begonia! All I can tell you is that I'm just longing to see that airborne rodent again and really teach him to fly." A table in the far corner of the room started to float. It carried on floating up until it smashed into pieces on the ceiling. The Riddler had been watching all this from his tied up upside down position in shock. The Joker turned his attentions to him. The Riddler burst into flames. The Joker grinned even more at this. "What do you call a burnt Riddler?" The Joker tittered. "Anything you like, he can't hear you!"

* * *

Alfred sauntered over to the gate. A guard cocked his gun and pointed it at Alfred. He was nearly 6 foot tall and about 270 lbs. Even the walk over to Alfred made him sweat. Alfred could clearly see the sweat running down his bald head.

"'ere, point that thing elsewhere cancha?" said Alfred.

"I don't know you. Name and security section?"

"Tom Colby. I work on Security Section C. The psychopaths. I've already had a crap day. I've been thrown up on by Two-face. Talk about multicoloured yawn. Believe me, the only thing less attractive than that is his face."

"Let's see your pass, Colby."

"Less of that Colby stuff. You guys have it easy out here on guard duty. All the psychos are in there. We're the ones who have to mix with those fruit loops day in and day out." Alfred pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

"Where's your pass?"

"I told you Two-face threw up over it!" Alfred reached gingerly into his pocket. He looked at him curiously. "Do you really want to see it?"

"I won't ask you again."

Alfred's brow furrowed. "Hang on. Forget my pass, what about your pass?"

"We're the guards."

"I've only got your word for that. What's your name? How do I know you aren't an escaped inmate disguised as a guard?"

"I'm Felix Alcott!" The guard pointed a finger at his chest. His long oval face looked surprised at anyone asking him.

"I've only got your word for that. Where's your pass, Alcott?"

Felix Alcott reached a hand into his pocket and brought out a grubby looking pass.

Alfred snatched it from him. He peered at the picture of Alcott. It was obviously taken a few years ago. When Alcott had had long black hair and a goatee beard. He now sported a skinhead hair cut. "Nothing like you! This is a clear forgery!"

"It is me!" insisted Alcott.

"Prove it," said Alfred, pointing to the thumb pad in front of the gate. "If your thumb print and card match up then I'll believe you."

Alfred followed a complaining Alcott to the gate security system. Alcott placed his thumb on the pad and waved his card in front of the card reader. There was a big clicking sound and the sound of heavy machinery. With a whirring sound the heavy gate ground open.

"See!" said Alcott.

"You're absolutely right," said Alfred. "Sorry for doubting you, Felix. I'll see you guys later. My next shift is tomorrow…"

Alfred sauntered out. He was past the gates. He was on the long straight road to Gotham. Don't run and don't look back, he thought.

"Hey!" He heard shouting behind him.

Don't run. Don't do anything they can shoot you for. He started to walk faster.

"HEY STOP!"

He could hear the sound of running behind him.

"YOU STOP!"

His heart in his mouth, he turned around. It was Alcott running down the road towards him. "Hey Colby you dropped this!" Alcott handed him the pass he had stolen from the guard earlier.

"Cheers," said Alfred, stretching his hand out.

"Hang on," said Alcott. "Let's see your pass while we're here." He flicked open the pass and looked down from the pass to Alfred.

Alfred started to sweat.

"Jeez, you were a hairy bastard." Alcott threw the pass back to Alfred. "The moustache is a definite improvement." Alfred glanced down. Tom Colby's pass he had stolen showed its owner once sported a rather fine beard.

"Seeya, Colby."

Suddenly klaxons started wailing at Arkham. Several red lights on the walls surrounding Arkham started flashing. They must have found the guard. Alcott turned around. His face rapidly morphed and turned white and his clothes turned in on themselves to form a purple suit. The Joker grinned at him and raised a purple gun with little flowers painted on it to Alfred's head…


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. I would like to thank Cmar for beta-reading this chapter and the previous few chapters and all the reviewers. They are all greatly appreciated. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Fifteen – Hostile Takeover**

The Joker looked up. A car was approaching him quickly. Very quickly. This was a car unlike any he had seen before. The mirrored Batmobile screeched to a halt next to Alfred and the top slid open. The Joker grinned even more widely.

"See you around Alfy!" he said and pointed his gun at Batman who leapt out of the Batmobile. He shot twice at Batman but the bullets went through. Batman carried on running towards the Joker. The Joker looked stupidly at the end of his gun and raised his hands towards Batman. Batman started flickering like a bad TV signal and finally disappeared. A hologram. "NO FAIR!" The Joker shouted. The Batmobile started reversing quickly. He looked to his left and realised that Alfred had gone. The Joker raised a hand towards the Batmobile. The Batmobile started floating softly off the ground. The wheels started whining, as they suddenly had no surface to grip to.

The Joker smiled and moving his hand towards himself; the Batmobile floated towards him. There was a cracking sound as he mentally pushed the Batmobile into a lamppost. "Whoops! I hope you're insured, Batty!" A missile leapt out of the Batmobile and exploded a net over the Joker. "Is that the best you can do Batty? Yeaaargh!" The Joker shrieked in pain as 4000 volts coursed through the metal net. The Joker's mental hold on the Batmobile broken, it fell ten feet to the ground and roared off into the distance in a cloud of dust.

The Joker ripped the net off, cursing colourfully. He looked to his right and left and could see Agents Smith and Brown. "What are you looking at?"

"You have failed again."

"I'm just getting started! Do we know where they are going?"

Smith raised a hand to his ear. "No. There are 9 active hard wire points in Gotham. Their current speed and trajectory means they could be heading to any of them."

"I don't care! Just get me in front of the mirror machine. Goddam I always knew Batman was vain. Can't even get in a car without preening in front of his reflection."

The Joker, Smith and Brown's face morphed and three rather surprised looking Gotham guards appeared.

* * *

Alfred looked about the inside of the updated Batmobile. It was all gleaming surfaces. The buttons and dials were all just under the smooth shiny surface. Easy to clean this car, he thought. One of the problems with the other Batmobile was that all the buttons and dials were a haven for dust. Batman was operating the car with a black ebony steering wheel. Even that, Alfred noted, had several buttons hidden just below the surface. He looked out the window. The buildings and cars were zipping past so fast it was like being on a plane. 

"Thank you for rescuing me, Master Bruce."

Batman glanced over at him and gave a wry smile. "Didn't look like you needed much rescuing."

Alfred acknowledged this with a slight nod of his head. "I always try and leave a place better than when I started. I get the feeling when they serve food again there and I'm not there to cook there might be a small riot."

Robin said. "Just like Wayne Manor when you are on holiday. Have you ever seen Batman cook a pot noodle?" He shuddered.

"What the hell is with the Joker and those powers?" said Batman to Morpheus.

"I do not know. He is exhibiting powers beyond what I have seen."

The Batman gave a wry smile. "Could he be this chosen one you are looking for?"

Morpheus did not smile. "The saviour of the human race would not manifest himself as a psychopathic clown." Morpheus was silent for a moment. "I hope." He added.

The car suddenly stopped. Batman pressed a button and the top hissed open. There in front of them was the Joker and two agents. The car was again hovering above the ground. Batman leapt out of the car. Batman leapt out of the car. Batman leapt out of the car. Alfred rubbed his eyes in shock. It looked like there were three Batmen in front of the car. Holograms, he thought.

* * *

The other two holograms were being perforated by the Joker and the agents. The images flickered. Batman reached down to his utility belt and threw a flashbang at the feet of the Joker and the agents. There was a violent explosion, knocking them off their feet. The holograms crackled and died. The Joker started shooting at the real Batman. Two bullets pinged off his armour, throwing him to the ground. Batman rolled and threw a batarang at the Joker. The Joker waved his hand at it and it started spinning in midair. It then headed back towards Batman. He pressed a button on his utility belt and the batarang exploded in midair. 

Batman reached his hands behind his back and threw something at the Joker and the agents. It was like a silver cloud full of tiny spinning batarangs.

"Whoopsie!" He heard the Joker say as the miniature batarangs covered him and the agents. There was a cloud of smoke and flames as they exploded, throwing the Joker and the agents back ten feet through a glass shop window and into a display of wedding dresses.

Batman turned to the car. "Get Alfred out of here! I'll hold them off."

"What about you, sir?" said Alfred.

"I can handle them! Go! Go!" Batman pressed a button on his belt and the car hissed shut and roared off into the distance. Batman reached to his belt and pulled out a grapnel. He pointed it at the nearest building and was soon soaring above the streets. He let go of the grapnel and spun and twisted in midair as he sought a handhold. He grabbed hold of a fire escape and pulled himself up. He ran to the top of the 30 storey building where there were three workmen waterproofing the roof. As he looked at them they morphed into the shapes of the Joker and the Agents. Before the agents had a chance to get used to their new location Batman scissor kicked Smith in the stomach and punched Brown in the head. He grabbed hold of Brown and pushed him off the building with his hands whilst grabbing Smith with his feet and throwing him into space. He aimed a scorpion kick at Smith while he was in midair and he joined Brown on the thirty-storey trip straight down. They were agents. They would survive, but it would slow them down. That just left him with the Joker.

The Joker tittered at this. "I never liked those squares anyway." The Joker raised his hands towards Batman. "Let's tango!"

Batman threw something towards him. The Joker was suddenly getting wrapped in metal wire pinning his hands to his sides. The Batman reached into his utility belt and got out a red pill. A tracking program. If he could get the Joker to swallow it he would be in a one-way trip out of the Matrix where he would lose his powers and be as helpless as a newborn. He forced the Joker's mouth open and pushed the pill in. The Joker spat it out and laughed.

"I never accept sweets from strangers!" He breathed deeply and the wires surrounding him snapped off into pieces. He made a grab at Batman but he dodged it, grabbed the Joker's arm, and twisted his foot into his armpit trying to dislocate his arm. It was a move he had carried out with success dozens of times. Here it was impossible. The Joker twisted away from Batman and leapt into the air. Next time Batman looked he was on the building opposite him. Batman breathed deeply. Now was the time to see if Morpheus's lessons had struck home. He was not an agent. If he fell here he would die. Batman took a step back and ran towards the side of the building…

* * *

Morpheus was driving the Batmobile at incredible speeds through the crowded streets of Gotham. The car screeched to a halt outside a department store. The roof hissed open and Morpheus, Alfred and Robin leapt out and ran inside. Alfred was still complaining about leaving Batman behind. 

"He knows what he is doing," intoned Morpheus. Robin was not so sure.

They ran past several surprised looking shoppers towards a ringing phone on the complaints desk. Morpheus handed Alfred a red pill. "Take this pill."

"I will wait for Batman to come back."

"Batman risked his life to get you back. If you don't take this pill it will all be for nothing…"

Alfred got the pill from Morpheus and crunched down on it. In front of the surprised looking shoppers Alfred started to go translucent.

Morpheus got his mobile out and pressed one button. "Tank, this is Morpheus. He has taken the trace program. Do you have a signal?"

"Not yet," said Tank

Alfred fell to the ground in front of the horrified shoppers. He was starting to turn a silvery colour.

Morpheus looked down unemotionally at Alfred. "We need a trace soon. He is old; if he goes into replication we will lose him."

"Still negative."

Alfred's features started swimming, his nose floating about his face like a Picasso painting.

"He is going into replication."

"WE HAVE HIM! WE HAVE HIM!" shouted Tank.

Alfred blinked out of existence in a flash of green.

Morpheus smiled and slid shut his phone. He went to talk to Robin and realised he had gone. Outside he heard the roar of the Batmobile as it sped off. There was a coughing sound. He looked down to see a little old lady who couldn't have been any taller than five foot tugging at his black leather coat.

"Excuse me, young man, I'd like to return this bra please?"


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. I would like to thank Cmar for beta-reading this chapter and the previous few chapters and all the reviewers. They are all greatly appreciated. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Sixteen – Hostile Takeover**

Batman was soaring high above the streets of Gotham. The jump was a hundred feet. Physically impossible for any mortal. Batman was not just any mortal. Not now. He landed with a crash on the other building. The flat roof behind him held two foot prints where he had landed. He rolled to slow himself down and got to his feet. The Joker was in front of him. He pointed a hand at him and Batman's costume started to smoulder. He looked down at his chest plate. Small flames started to erupt all around him. He reached to his utility belt and threw a small capsule at the Joker's feet. Ice started growing around the Joker at an incredible speed. In seconds the Joker was frozen to the spot like a statue.

The flames died out on Batman. Batman reached into his utility belt for a red pill. He looked down. This was the last one. If he couldn't get the Joker to swallow this he was out of options. He pushed a pill into the Joker's mouth. The Joker started to melt. A second time the Joker spat the pill out before the trace program had a chance to run.

"If I didn't know you better Batty," said the Joker, as with a cracking sound he broke free of his icy prison. "I would say you are trying to poison me."

Batman sent a scissor kick to the Joker's head. The Joker was still cold and slow and the kick struck home sending the Joker flying against an air conditioning unit. The Joker slid to the ground. There was a huge dent in the unit where the Joker had landed. The Joker raised a hand. Batman did not give him a chance to do anything and he kicked the Joker in the stomach. The Joker followed with a whirlwind of punches that Batman could not even see against his stomach. His armour stopped most of the force but he was still pushed towards the edge of the building. Batman was getting woozy. He tried to aim a kick at the Joker. That was a mistake. He was getting slow and tired. The Joker grabbed his foot and sent him spinning off the edge of the building. The Joker leapt after him and started pummelling him in mid air…

* * *

Robin was looking down at a small screen in the Batmobile. It was showing a map of Gotham and a green dot showed Batman. The Red dot showed himself. The dots coincided. He stopped the car and opened the roof. He aimed a grapnel at the nearest building and the rotor mechanism shot him into the air. Below him he could see the mirrored Batmobile's roof slide shut and the car parked itself nicely into the side of the road. In seconds the onboard hologram generator disguised the car as a rather beat up yellow cab. 

Above him he could see a blur of falling bodies. Robin reached out an arm and grabbed Batman's arm as he fell. He ignored the Joker who threw him an evil glare in passing. Batman was battered and bleeding. Robin swung them to a fire escape where they both landed safely. There was a huge crash sound below as the Joker landed in the street. A cloud of dust floated up towards them.

Batman wiped some blood from his chin. "I had my grappling hooks. I was quite safe. I thought I told you to go back with Alfred."

"A thanks would be nice. I thought you said you could handle them?"

"Go back to…"

"Save your breath," said Robin. "If we hurry we can both make it out of here alive."

"I've got to stop the Joker."

Robin looked over the edge of the fire escape to see the Joker and the two agents climbing swiftly up the ladders towards them. Robin raised an eyebrow. "I take it your plan to make him take a red pill hasn't worked."

"No."

"Any other plans?"

"No."

"Let's get out of here then. I parked the car down below." Robin looked down. "Oh, someone's trying to clamp it." There was a flash of electricity. "No, they're not." Batman leapt off the fire escape, firing a grapnel as he fell. Robin jumped after him. Agent Smith leapt off the fire escape towards Robin. He grabbed Robin's feet and pulled himself up the cable towards him. Robin kicked him in the stomach and leapt off the cable into midair. Smith suddenly found himself hanging from a cable in the middle of a Gotham street and heading very fast towards a wall. There was a crashing sound as Smith collided with the wall and fell, stunned, towards the street below.

Robin was spinning in midair. He reached a hand to his utility belt and drew out another grappling hook. Before he had a chance to fire it Batman had a hold of his arm and they swung down to the street below.

"I had my grappling hooks," said Robin.

Batman grinned at him. "A thanks would be nice."

Robin pressed a button his utility belt and the yellow taxi behind him flickered and changed to the mirrored Batmobile. It purred out of its space and Batman and Robin leapt in. The stunned traffic warden that had tried to clamp the Batmobile got to his feet. In milliseconds his features warped and the Joker was standing there. Batman pressed a button on the smooth dashboard. A wire net wrapped around the Joker. He pressed another button and a cable shot out of the car and attached itself to a fire escape a hundred foot above, dragging the Joker with it.

Batman pressed the accelerator and soon the car was zipping through the streets. He pressed another button. There was a ringing sound.

"Morpheus," said a voice.

"This is Batman. We need an exit point."

"Where is the Joker?"

"Hanging around somewhere."

"There is an exit point near you." A small orange light started bleeping on the map screen in the car.

"I've got it. We'll be there shortly. How is Alfred?"

"The Nebuchadnezzar has picked him up."

Batman was silent for a couple of seconds as he took a deep breath. "Good. Tell him we will be with him shortly."

There was a squealing sound as the wheels suddenly spun out of control. There was nothing for them to grip. The car stopped and started floating. Batman looked out of the windscreen. He could see the Joker and the agents standing outside.

"Come out! Come out! Wherever you are!" sang the Joker with his hands raised to head height. The Batmobile was thrown against the side of a building. The mirrored surface started to crack. The Batmobile was thrown against the side of another building. This time the wall cracked and crumbled under the pressure. The car went careening through the building, partitions cracking and breaking around them. Batman slammed the controls with frustration. The car was out of control. If he couldn't see the Joker he couldn't stop him. The car was dragged out of the building. It was covered in curtains, books and splintered furniture. These fell to the road below in a gentle rain as the Joker sent the car crashing into the apartment building again…

* * *

Morpheus was still in the department store. He was trying to ignore a line of female customers all bringing him items of intimate clothing. The phone behind him started ringing. Morpheus didn't even look behind him. Judging by the shocked expressions in front of him he had been joined by… 

"Trinity," said Morpheus, not looking back.

"Yes," she said. "I also brought Mortive and Keaper."

Morpheus turned around and smiled. "If we try and rescue Batman the agents or the Joker could kill us."

"We knew the risks when we signed up," said Mortive. She had blonde hair and high cheekbones. Like all of them she had small black sunglasses on.

"Come on then," said Morpheus. "We can at least give the agents something else to concentrate on…"

They ran out of the department store into the streets of Gotham.

* * *

The car was starting to crack up with the sustained damage. Batman pressed a button on the dashboard and the roof slid off with a hiss. He got to his feet and rolled out into the battered apartment along with Robin. The car was still being dragged through the building. Batman looked about him. The building was empty, thank God. He ran to the battered edge of the building. His car was again thrown past him. He could see his reflection in its shattered surface. Three storeys below he could see the Joker and the agents. The Joker had his hands above his head and he was giggling uncontrollably. 

Batman glanced over at Robin. "Let's kick their ass," said Robin.

They leapt off the building. Only days earlier this jump would have broken their ankles and given them several weeks hospital time. Now they landed softly next to the Joker and the agents. Batman sent a scorpion kick towards the Joker whilst simultaneously punching Smith in the face. Robin was a blur as he sent a devastating number of kicks and punches towards Brown.

Batman punched and kicked at the Joker. The Joker was dodging everything Batman could throw at him. Batman moved up a gear. His punches were like lightning. Small shock waves could be seen forming around Batman as he punched and kicked. Suddenly the world seemed to slow for Batman. The Joker instead of being a blur seemed to be moving slowly. He could see Smith shooting at him. The bullets leisurely left the gun, leaving a grey trail behind them. He twisted in mid air to dodge them while kicking at the Joker who was suddenly moving at a snail's pace. He punched the Joker. This time his punches connected. He sent a batarang winging towards Smith. It was going too fast for Smith to dodge and it sent his gun spinning into a trashcan.

He looked behind him and could see Trinity, Mortive and Morpheus running towards them. Morpheus threw a red pill to Batman, which he caught whilst punching the Joker in the throat. He turned back to the fight and sent a kick into the Joker's stomach and grabbed him round the neck and forced the red pill into his mouth. He punched the Joker in the stomach to force him to swallow.

The Joker pulled a gun from his pocket and fired it at point blank range at Batman's chest. A shock reverberated through his body. The shot was too close for his armour to have any effect. He tried to stand but was too weak. He looked behind him. Another shot sliced through his body. He tried to speak but his mouth was full of blood. He dropped the Joker, who was starting to turn a silvery colour as the trace program worked and removed him from the system, and fell to his knees. There was another shot from behind him this time and this time he was thrown dying to the ground in front of the fading Joker…


	17. Chapter Seventeen Death of Batman

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. I would like to thank Cmar for beta-reading this chapter and the previous few chapters and all the reviewers. They are all greatly appreciated. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Seventeen – Hostile Takeover**

Robin looked in shock at Batman. In that millisecond Agent Brown punched him, sending the boy flying back. He got to his feet and Agent Brown, with inhuman speed, sent a kick at his head. The kick never struck home. Morpheus punched Brown and pulled out a gun and shot at him. Brown appeared to blur as he dodged all the bullets.

"Come, Robin. We have to go."

"I can't just leave him!"

"He is dead. There is nothing more we can do. Go!"

Robin looked over at Batman's body. Blood was pooling under his body and he wasn't moving. Where the Joker had been was just a space. He had left the system. Robin looked up. A black shadow, moving incredibly quickly, vanished around the corner. Morpheus grabbed his arm.

"Move! Move!" Morpheus carried on shooting at Smith and Brown. The boy looked back at Trinity. Mortive was lying unconscious on the ground. Robin looked up and saw the Batmobile was still sticking halfway out of a building about thirty feet above them. He pressed a button on his belt and it reversed out of the building and the car landed squarely on Agent Brown and Agent Smith. The car was extremely battered and the once shimmering mirror-like surface was cracked and dented and steam was erupting from the engine block. Robin pressed another button on his belt and the door on the side clanked open. The car started swaying from side to side as Smith and Brown pushed the car up from under them. Robin leapt in and drove the car forward. Morpheus jumped in.

"Come on! Move! Move!"

Robin looked at the unconscious Mortive. "What happened to her?"

"She shot Batman in the back. I knocked her out."

Mortive was just starting to come round. She looked at Robin. Robin just stared at her coldly, turned to the front, and pressed the accelerator. The car leapt forward. He was feeling cold. Empty. It had still not sunk in. He couldn't be dead. Not really. He was Batman. He always had been Batman, he always would be Batman. His throat felt thick and his vision got blurred and, unbidden, an image of Batman's body came to his mind. He didn't think it would end like that. Not lying cold and dead on the street. It was a dangerous game he was in.

Robin nearly crashed the car. He shook himself and looked at the screen. Exit points were showing on the screen as black dots. There was one near them in an old warehouse. The boy took a deep breath. Batman would not allow himself the luxury of emotions. Not at this time.

The car roared down the road. Once, in front of them two pedestrians morphed into agents. Robin showed no mercy and took to the sidewalks. The agents leapt to a fire escape to escape the maniac. He was shaking. The exit point was down a side street. Leaving smoke from the tires, the Batmobile turned the corner. The only thing blocking his way was a huge steel gate. It might as well have been made of tissue paper for all the resistance it gave the Batmobile. The car flew up a loading ramp and went flying through the wall of the warehouse. The car was shattered, a mere semblance of what it once had been. The hologram generator in the car was broken. Electric blue lightning flickered over the surface occasionally as it tried to repair itself. The door creaked open, and Robin, Morpheus, Trinity and Keaper ran out. They were dragging Mortive with them. The once pretty blonde had blood pouring out of a head wound where Morpheus had hit her. He hadn't hit her soon enough. Not before she had sent a final bullet into Batman's body.

There was the distinctive crack of a pistol. Robin turned his head to see agents Smith and Brown running towards them. They leapt over the smoking Batmobile and started shooting at them. The boy threw two batarangs at the agents. One knocked Brown's gun out of his hand, the other barely missed Smith's gun. Trinity was just about to pick up the ringing phone when she looked questioningly at Robin.

"Go! Just go!" he shouted. "I'll catch up."

Trinity, still holding Mortive, picked up the phone and disappeared in a flash of green light.

Robin was venting his anger on the agents. He was fast. They were faster. . He was strong. They were stronger. He was filled with the rage…

Even though it felt like punching concrete, Robin did not care. His vision was getting blurred but he did not care. The agents were hitting him. He did not seem to notice. All he knew was that he was taking out his anger and frustration on the people responsible for… For… He did not want to think of it.

Morpheus grabbed the battered and bruised boy. Emptied his pistol at the agents, which they dodged, and dragged him towards the ringing phone. Morpheus, still holding the boy, picked up the phone. They left the Matrix in a sea of green.

* * *

Tim ripped the metal helmet off his head and got to his feet. Around him he could see the others. Lying on a table opposite him and attached to hundreds of needles to build up his muscles was Alfred and on the other table… The man responsible. His face was not scarred and he did not have the green hair but it was him. He would have known that instantly. The Joker. Tim stalked over to the other table when Tank put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Let me go!"

"Cool it, man," said Tank, raising his hands to show he meant no harm. "We picked up Joker-boy ten minutes ago."

"I'll kill him for what he did to Bruce."

"No need, sport. The guy's a vegetable. He's comatose. He's brain-dead."

"What about Alfred?"

"Alfred is fine, Master Tim," said Alfred. He was lying on the table too weak to move. "I have to apologise. I will not be up and about for a day or two apparently."

Tim bit his lip. He had to tell Alfred. He had to tell him about Bruce. He looked at Bruce as a son, how could he tell him he was dead? He wanted to tell him about him dying a hero. He wanted to tell him it was how he would have wanted to go. But he didn't. He couldn't.

"Alfred…" He tailed off.

"Master Timothy?"

"It's about Bruce…"

"Yes, I know, I've seen him. I must say he does look different now but so do we all. It is hard to conceive our whole existence has just been for the benefit of a few malcontent machines."

"Robin!" said a familiar voice. Rather higher pitched than normal though?

He turned around to see Bruce grinning at him…

As Tim turned to face Bruce all the worries and tension of the previous hour seemed to drain away.

"My God, you're alive." Tim hugged Bruce.

Bruce pushed him away. "Of course. Of course."

"But you were shot! What happened to you?"

"Shot? Me? Oh yes of course. Shot. Well you know I don't really know. There was a flash of green and then I was back here again. My memory seems to be failing me somewhat, Robin." He stared questioningly at him. "And you are?"

"Tim."

"Tim! Tim! Of course. How simply joyous to see you again, Timmy. Not in the little bird suit then?"

"No. Are you alright?"

"Fine. Never better. My memory has got quite screwy so you might have to remind me of stuff occasionally. Oh Alfy!" He walked over to Alfred. "Alfy! Alfy! Good to see you, old fruit. You are looking chipper."

"Thank you, Master Bruce," said Alfred weakly from the table.

Bruce grabbed one of the needles that was rebuilding Alfred's arm and started to push it slightly making Alfred wince. "This looks positively painful." He then saw the Joker's body lying on the other table and grimaced. "_Joker_." He then smiled and pinched the Joker's nose. The body started coughing. "Still there then Joker? Not given up yet then?"

He stopped doing this and turned around to see everyone staring at him in shock. "So what do people do for fun around here?"

* * *

Several hours later Tim and Tank were in the console room in the Nebuchadnezzar. Bruce had gone to bed and Alfred was still recuperating. 

"Did you video what happened to us in the Matrix?" Tim asked Tank.

"Video?"

"You know, copy. Do you have a copy of what happened to us when Bruce gave the Joker that pill?"

"Yeah. We've got one trillion terabytes of data here. Enough for about two hours of the Matrix. I'll find the right segment to show you…"

* * *

Mortive was locked up and alone. She had been responsible for the final shot at Bruce that had knocked him down. She was sobbing quietly whilst being chained to the metal wall. She knew her fate was incarceration in the stockade back at Zion but she did not care. Her grandparents, who had looked after her since her parents had died, would have been killed if she had not helped the agents. To guarantee their safety she had to give them Morpheus. This was something that did not rest well with her conscience. He was the man who had set her free but neither could she leave her grandparents to their fate, she owed them too much. They were too old to be released from the system. She looked at her watch. She had three days to give them Morpheus or they would be killed. She carried on sobbing when the door creaked open. 

"Hello dearie," said Bruce.

He walked into the room and looked her up and down slowly and appraisingly. "What do you want, Bruce?" she spat out.

"I want your help, my dear. I need to return to numbers-land and I don't know how to do it. This place is just too dull."

"If I help you, I want something in return."

"Name it! If it is in my power I would paint the world purple for you."

"I want Morpheus."

"Baldy? Why? Surely I'm more attractive. I've got a nice chin. Muscle definition to die for and skin tone which although not the colour I usually like is at least healthy and subtle." He grimaced. "I haven't checked the other attributes yet and hopefully I will get back to the green, green numbers of home before I have to." He shuddered.

"We need him plugged into the Matrix and we need to give him to the agents so they can extract Zion's pass codes from him."

"Give him to Smithy and Browny? Ooh! It would make their day. It might even make them crack a smile."

She lowered her eyebrows. "You're not Bruce. Who are you?"

"Give that girl a lollipop. Try and guess? White skin, green hair, witty rejoinders?"

"Joker?"

"Yes! I've no idea how I got here and certainly not in this horrific garb. Anyway, Mortive old girl…" He grinned at her. "Do you mind if I call you Mort? Reminds me of home. Actually…" He looked at her coquettishly. "Could I call you Harley?"

"No."

"Fair enough, Harley. I suggest we start by killing everyone on board…"

"What? Why?"

"Why not, Harley my dear? Fun!"


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. I would like to thank Cmar for beta-reading this chapter and the previous few chapters and all the reviewers. They are all greatly appreciated. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Eighteen – Hostile Takeover**

Robin was with Tank in front of several screens of green numbers. The numbers were dropping down the screen like rain.

"How do you even know what these numbers are?"

"I've been working on this for years. Believe me, I know." Tank pointed a grubby finger at the screen. "See that? That's you and Bruce fighting the agents and the Joker."

Tim peered at the screen. Try as he might he could only see green numbers. "It's still in code?"

"You're not looking at it properly."

Suddenly, without the numbers seeming to make any change in form or nature, he could see what was happening. He could see Bruce and himself fighting. Bruce seemed to blur as he dodged the bullets. He force fed the Joker a pill and was shot at his moment of triumph; then the numbers seemed to flicker as the Joker started to fade from existence and a hole seemed to open in the numbers as he was forcibly ejected from the system. At the same time, Batman died. Tim grimaced as he forced himself to watch it again.

"What are you watching?"

He turned around to see Bruce. "Bruce. I thought you were still asleep."

"You know me, a bit of a night owl. What are you two doing?"

He peered at the screen. "Oh, I recognise that scene! There I am. Handsome as ever. Ooh! That had to hurt. Why are you replaying this? Are you going to include it in Batman's greatest hits?"

"Just trying to find out what happened to the Joker. I mean he is here, but not here, if you get me?"

Bruce stared at Tim. He held the stare for several seconds and then started smiling. "Don't worry about Jokey-boy. Have fun. I'm going to bed."

Tim stared at Bruce as he walked off. Even his walk seemed wrong somehow. Bruce walked tall, he didn't slouch. There was something wrong and he knew it but he couldn't prove it.

The screen was again showing the fight. "Can you change the angle of the view?"

"Sure." Tank's fingers flickered as he typed on the keyboard.

"Change it to a thirty degree angle." He looked at the screen. "Zoom in thirty percent." He pointed at the screen. "What's that?" Just at the time Bruce was shot, a black shadow raced away from his body.

"I dunno. Never seen any code like that before." He started typing again. "Just a sec. Let me change the time frame. Follow that sucker."

The screen view shifted. This time the view was from an alley. "Freeze frame it."

He looked at the screen. The shadow seemed almost human, like a ghost. It looked like a soul had been ripped from a body.

"Zoom in on it forty-five percent." The face took up the whole screen. Even in code form it was obvious who it was. Bruce Wayne.

"Woah! This is getting too surreal. If that thing is Bruce, then who is that walking and talking here?"

"The Joker."

"How?"

Tim rubbed his head in confusion. "I'm no expert, but if the Joker was not in his body at the time he got given the tracker program, maybe he just hijacked Bruce's body as the nearest convenient vessel."

"What about Bruce? He was shot; he should have died."

"Inside the Matrix or outside the Matrix, Bruce has a habit of not doing what he should do."

"We've got to get him back."

* * *

Gotham. Some ideas cannot die. Even when they are ripped from their bodies they still exist. The Matrix was a place where body and soul are not attached. The soul can wander around even if the body has died or is removed from the system. The Matrix was a mass of numbers, algorithms and equations. Some would argue the human soul was just the same, a mass of conflicting ideas and equations. If a soul is strong enough it can shape the Matrix to its will. Bruce Wayne was a very strong soul…

A criminal had just broken into a flat in downtown Gotham. He smiled to himself in the darkness. Using a torch just encouraged Gotham's vigilantes. He used night vision goggles. He took an old cutthroat razor out of his pocket and swished the air in front of him experimentally. He craved his fifteen minutes of fame. Cut-throat Bill, that's what he wanted to be called. Not much of a nickname, but it would do for him. He just needed to cut some throats. In front of him he heard the sound of a toilet flushing and the shape of a woman appeared as a silhouette in front of him. He had never been deemed evil enough to be placed in Arkham. That was something he was determined to change.

He heard a noise behind him and he looked around. His night vision showed the world in a sea of green. There was nothing there, just the window he had quietly levered open, and the curtain. He looked to the front and nearly fell over in shock.

It was a demon. It had to be. The creature in front of him was shadowed in a black cloak. Its face was a mass of teeth and its eyes were red slits.

"Crriiimmmiiinnnaaallll!" it hissed.

The woman in her flat screamed at this and slammed her door shut.

The man swiped his razor at the creature in front of him; the demon grabbed his arm and took the razor from him. His belt caught on the chair behind him and when the creature picked him up his trousers ripped off him. One-handed, the creature picked him up and leapt out of the flat to the ground five stories below.

Cut-throat Bill passed out in shock…

When he woke up he was tied upside down to a lamppost and two very annoyed looking police officers were looking at ways to get him down. There was also a journalist below taking a picture. He might not get to Arkham but he would get his fifteen minutes of fame as a half naked man tied to a lamppost.

* * *

Tim was talking to Morpheus.

"We've got to lock up Bruce and go back to Gotham."

"No."

"You don't understand. That person," Tim pointed through the door, "is not Bruce. That's the Joker."

"The Joker? Impossible."

"It's not impossible. I don't know how but he has possessed Bruce somehow."

"We do not have frontier justice in Zion. We have rules. Regulations. If he is the Joker he will stand trial before the Council."

Tim laughed. "The Joker will not wait around while you convene a trial. We have to stop him now and bring back Bruce."

"I do have certain legislative powers I am able to use in my own ship. We will lock the Joker, or Bruce, or whoever he is up and then go into the Matrix to find out what has happened to Bruce."

The door opened and 'Bruce' walked in. "Do my little ears deceive me or are you plotting behind my back?" He put a hand melodramatically to his head and said. "Et tu Tim! So falls Bruce!"

Morpheus turned to him. "We just need to confine you until we find out what is happening here." He got a gun from a shoulder holster and pointed it at the Joker. Trinity did the same.

There was a silence. A long silence. The Joker finally grinned at them. "Why not. Lead on, Macduff."

"You go first," said Morpheus.

'Bruce' walked in front of them. "Where am I going?"

Morpheus opened a door in front of them and there was Mortive, still chained to the wall.

"Hello Harley," said the Joker, grinning. "Looks like we'll be prison buddies for a while. Where do we want me?" He put hands together and waggled his eyebrows at Trinity. "Do you want to tie me up, deary?"

Trinity attached the chain round the Joker's wrists and pulled them tight, eliciting a wince from him. He gave her an evil stare.

They slammed the door behind them and then they walked back onto the main deck. Alfred, looking very shaky and pale, was there now as well.

"Master Timothy, it is so good to see you again."

"You too, Alfred."

"Where is Master Bruce?"

"Still in the Matrix. Long story." He turned to Tank. "Okay, can you plug us back in? Trin, Morph. You two with me?"

"I think a return to the Matrix is reprehensible. We have no idea if Bruce even exists in a form where he can be returned to his body or even if it is possible."

Trinity said, "I'm with you."

Tank was looking at the screen. "There is some weird stuff going on in Gotham at the moment…"

Tim walked up to the screen. "What kind of stuff?"

"Look at the code here. It's Bruce, I think, but he seems to have changed. He is changing even as I watch. His form is starting to dissolve around the edges."

"How long do you think we have?"

"No idea. Two hours. Three, tops. Then there will be nothing left of Bruce at all."

"We're going in there."

"I'm going with you," said Alfred.

"You are not trained. You are not ready to enter the Matrix."

"I don't care, sir. With the greatest of respect, I've known Master Bruce longer than any of you. If he is losing his humanity he might not recognise you. I feel sure he would recognise me."

"We don't have time for this," said Tim, "he's in."

They all sat down on the chairs and Tank plugged them in.

* * *

"Well," said the Joker, rattling his chains like a ghost, "this is a turn-up, Harley."

"I told you, it is Mortive," she said. "Was this part of your plan?"

"They could never be prison guards." He reached into a pocket and brought out a small metal splinter. "They didn't even strip search me. That is the only bit of Arkham I enjoy. Ooohh!" He put the splinter into the lock of the padlock and started wiggling it around. "Locks have not improved in the past two hundred years. What happened to the retina scans? What happened to the fingerprint scans? Not even a good old fashioned DNA test?" There was a small click sound and the padlock fell to the ground.

"Aren't you going to release me?"

"You sound just like Harley. I love it when you beg."

In seconds the Joker had released Mortive from her chains as well. The Joker minced up to the door and waggled the door handle. He then peered at the keypad next to it. "Nuts! A combination lock."

"What now?" said Mortive, rubbing her wrists where the chains had been.

The Joker covered his eyes with one hand and with the other tapped out a six-digit code. There was a beeping sound and the door clicked open.

"How did you do that?"

"My charming personality, that and the fact I have eyes. Tank kindly let me in to see you before. I just looked over his shoulder."

"Let's go."

"Patience, Harley, patience." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Morphy, Trinny and Timmy should be plugged in very soon. We need to kill, maim, or destroy our way around this place, plug ourselves in, and hand Morphy-boy to Smithy and Browny. Are you with me Harley?"

"I'm with you. At least until we get my grandparents back."

* * *

A phone was ringing in an office block. The desk was empty. The phone was an empty cubicle in a sea of office workers. Without there being any discernible change, four people were there. One moment the cubicle was empty. Next moment it wasn't.

Alfred, Tim, Morpheus and Trinity were standing there, all in black leather and sunglasses. Morpheus walked up to the phone and picked it up.

"We're in."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. I would like to thank Cmar for beta-reading this chapter and the previous few chapters and all the reviewers. They are all greatly appreciated. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Nineteen – Hostile Takeover**

The beast that was once Bruce was thinking. It had memories of something. Of a life beyond what it was doing now. His memories seemed to be fading. He was huddled on a window ledge a hundred foot from a busy urban road.

"I am Bruce. I am Batman," he muttered to himself. "Criminals must pay…"

He looked down below and could see a man being mugged by three men. "Criminal." He hissed and leapt off the parapet. He had no real physical form now, more shadow than anything. He could still be seen and make his presence known though. He leapt into the middle of the group and hissed at one of them. The man fell to his knees in terror. Another mugger shot at him, the bullet passing harmlessly through him. He concentrated, swept an arm up and the mugger went flying through the air and landed with a crash on the hood of a yellow taxi, shattering the windscreen with the impact. The other mugger dropped the bag and ran off; the victim picked up his bag and ran off in the other direction. Bruce stalked up the street and suddenly stopped as he saw his reflection in the window.

He looked even more demonic in his appearance now. A black cowl covered him completely. His eyes were red dots and his face was completely empty. Insubstantial teeth could be just about seen. "I am not a demon I am Bruce…" he said. He walked up to the glass and tried to say it again. "I am not a demon I am Br…" He stopped, his mind draining away from him. "I am not a demon I am Batman." As he watched he seemed to shimmer in and out of existence. A greenish tinge could be seen around his edges.

* * *

Doter was on the Nebuchadnezzar. He was currently scanning the area around the ship for mechanical squids. So far they had not been noticed, which was lucky considering how long they had been plugged into the system. He was feeling tired as this had been a long trip so far. He rubbed his eyes and reached down for a coffee. Well, they called it a coffee. One of the things he really missed from the system was the variety of food you could get. Outside the matrix you couldn't just walk into a Walmart or a Starbucks and order a latte. He grimaced as he drank the coffee. It was rumoured that the coffee was made of some sort of mould and rust. After drinking it he thought they must have missed out on the rust. 

"Clink."

He turned around. What was that noise? He couldn't see anything different. His face was caught in the eerie green glow of the radar. He pressed a button and light flooded the deck he was on. Nothing. He switched the light off and turned back to the screen. It was easier to see the radar without a background light.

"Hee! Hee!"

It was a chuckle? He had heard a chuckle? He switched the light on, ripped the earphones off his head and stood up. Still nothing there. He picked up the communicator.

"Tank? Tank, you there?"

"This is Tank; wassup my man?" crackled the communicator.

"It's Doter here. I'm on the communications level. Is there anyone else up here with me?"

"Don't you know?"

"I wouldn't ask if I did."

"Just lemme check…" There was a sound of buttons being pressed. "Nope, just your sweet self. Morpheus, Trinity, Alfred and Tim are plugged in at the moment. The rest of the crew are catching up on some shuteye. You feeling lonely there, boy?"

"Just getting jumpy, I could have sworn I heard…" Was the last thing he said. He looked down and could see a bloody metal spike protruding through his chest.

* * *

The Joker, now in Bruce's body, giggled as he impaled Doter. He stared at the blood-drenched metal, fascinated by the way the blood fell to the floor, and giggled again. 

"You killed him…" said Mortive.

The Joker grinned at her. "What did you expect? A gossip, a coffee, and a marshmallow?" He picked up Doter's cooling coffee and drank a bit of it. He spat it out. "Coffee has not improved since I've been gone." He clapped his hands together and danced a little jig. "Oh I haven't had so much fun in a dog's age." He grabbed Mortive by the hand and dragged her from the deck. "Come on, Harley old girl. Time's a wastin'."

* * *

Tim, Morpheus and Alfred walked out of the offices. A man in a very expensive Equilibro suit stood in front of them. 

"Who are you people and what are you doing in my office?"

Tim looked at Morpheus who said, "I am sorry to inconvenience you sir, we are from IT. We are here to fix your…" His eyes scanned the room, "printers."

"That explains the clothes." He looked in disdain at the leather coats and expensive sunglasses. "Well I'm glad you're here, it saves me logging a call. I can't print a word. Nothing comes out at all."

"Have you added any paper?" interjected Tim.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not in IT, that's your job. I know everything about computers, I've got one at home, you know?"

"Let me guess, you tried to fix it yourself?"

He perked up. "Yes, I did try to fix it myself! I unplugged the cable in the back and plugged it into my computer." He frowned slightly. "Now no-one can print to it…"

Morpheus pushed Tim in front of him. "You should log a call, sir. We have to be going…"

"I need this fixed…" Another, tall man with dark hair and a dishevelled suit tried to surreptitiously sneak past. The man in the expensive suit saw him and turned round and looked at his watch. "Mr Anderson. Either you choose to be at your desk on time from this day forth, or you choose to find yourself another job. Do I make myself clear?"

While he was distracted they filed out of the office quickly. Trinity gave the tall man a double-take as she went past him; he was cute, she thought. Word quickly got round that IT was in the office and office workers jumped out of their cubicles like rabbits, all waving bits of paper and asking questions like: "How do I design my window box in Word?" and "Why can't I fax any e-mails?" and "Why does my black and white printer not print in colour?"

"Go! Go! Go!" said Tim. They got the lift to the ground floor and then they ran out of the office block and past the surprised looking security guard. Tim turned to Morpheus. "Never, ever say you are in IT to a group of office workers. Tell them we're doing an asbestos survey, searching for rats, closing off the building because of the plague, anything but IT!"

* * *

The Joker wriggled through a ventilation duct in the Nebuchadnezzar. He giggled softly to himself. In the unlikely event he ever became a ship designer the first thing he would do was make the ventilation system too narrow to crawl through. He was approaching the sleeping quarters. He looked behind him and could see Harley there. Admiring his toned backside no doubt. He giggled again. Batman certainly kept a nice looking body. He would have to add a few embellishments to it before he handed it back to him, if he did. He was thinking of scratching a Joker's face on his cheek. The only thing that put him off rather was that it would hurt. He gently unscrewed the ventilation cover and dropped soundlessly into the room. He motioned Mortive to be quiet and smiled happily to himself. All asleep, all quiet, all to be dead. 

He got a metal spike from his pocket and raised it above the first sleeping victim when for some reason, he woke up. The man was huge, at least seven foot tall. With a yelling sound he grabbed the Joker's hand and stopped the spike an inch from his heart. The other two in the room woke up at this and got to their feet.

"Oh mittens!" said the Joker.

* * *

"Tank, this is Morpheus. We need a reading on where Bruce is now." 

"You'd better hurry there. His code is getting very flaky."

"That does not answer my question…" said Morpheus, struggling to keep his temper in check.

"He's about 400 yards from you now."

Morpheus looked down the busy Gotham Street. "I cannot see him."

"Not along. Up."

Morpheus looked up and could see a vague black shadow clinging to a gargoyle. It looked insubstantial. In the distance he could hear some sirens, at the sound the shadow leapt into the air and a ghostly cord shot from his hand and he swung away towards the noise.

"Come on, let's go!" said Tim. He reached to his belt and got a grappling gun out. In seconds he was following Bruce, soaring through the streets.

Alfred looked at Morpheus. "We'll take the streets I think."

"Agreed."

* * *

The Joker aimed a punch at the big man's chin, which connected with a sickening crack sound. He swung around on one foot and kicked the other man in the crotch whilst simultaneously singing La Marseille, the French national anthem. 

"Allons enfants de la patrie, le jour de gloire est arrivé!" he warbled. A man punched him in the stomach, thankfully stopping his singing for several seconds. He doubled up in pain and kicked the man in the elbow and then carried on singing. "Entendez-vous dans les campagnes, Mugir ces féroces soldats? Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras." At each word he punched and kicked his way through the Nebuchadnezzar crew. He was fast, strong and had no mercy.

In several seconds they were all three down for the count. He changed the words into English. "They come right to our arms. To slit the throats of our sons, our friends!"

He smiled up at Mortive who had been watching the fight in shock. "I do so love national anthems, they are so bloodthirsty!" He got another two metal spikes from his pocket and started juggling with them. "Eenie Meanie Moe, catch a tiger by its toe, if it hollers…" There was a groaning sound from one of the men below and he threw a spike at him…

* * *

Tim was trying his best to keep Bruce in sight. It was difficult at the best of times; now, in his insubstantial state, it was practically impossible. Below him he could see a bank robbery in progress. Three men with submachine guns came racing out of the bank. Batman dropped to the ground in front of them as bullets started to rip up the street. He punched at one of the men. His fist went straight through him. The sheer shock factor made the man drop his gun. His friend turned around and started shooting at Batman. The bullets went through him, making little rippling effects and throwing wisps of green smoke out. Batman stalked towards him and tried to kick him. An insubstantial leg came out of the phantom and tried to connect. Nothing happened. Tim dropped on top of the man, knocking him out; he grabbed a gun with his hand and threw it at the other man, knocking him out, spun on one foot and kicked the other man into a mailbox - out for the count. 

"Bruce, this is Tim!"

"Brruuuccee, who is Brruuuce?"

"You're Batman? Remember, Batman? Do you remember me?"

Tim stared at the phantom. He was getting more and more weak. He could just make out his eyes under the cowl.

"I don't know you…" At that he reached an insubstantial hand under his cowl and pointed a ghostly grappling hook at the sky. In seconds he had gone…


	20. Chapter Twenty

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. I would like to thank Cmar for beta-reading this chapter and the previous few chapters and all the reviewers. They are all greatly appreciated. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Twenty – Hostile Takeover**

Tank looked up from the screen. He could hear a whistling sound coming from the other side of the deck. The Joker, in Bruce's body, came dancing in. He had found a gun and he was pointing it at Tank. Tank put his finger above the alarm button.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" crooned the Joker.

Tank pressed the alarm button. A klaxon started wailing throughout the ship. The Joker cocked his head to one side and started laughing. "And who do you expect to come?" He looked around eagerly at the other doors on the deck. He slapped his head. "Forgot to say! I've killed all your buddies!"

Mortive walked in behind him and pointed a gun at Tank. Tank braced himself and waited for the shot. It never came. "No! No! My dear," said the Joker. "We need you alive. You're going to plug me into the matrix and my dear departed body as well. If I come back I at least want a decent body. Look at these abs!" He raised his top to show a well-toned muscular stomach. Even in his two days out of the matrix Bruce had exercised tirelessly to bring his body up to approaching what it was in the matrix. He shuddered. "Give me a decent bit of flab any day. Harley here is my insurance." He pointed to Mortive. "Any problems, Harley my dear, shoot him."

He sat down on the chair and grinned at Tank. "Plug me in, let me see those green, mean numbers again."

* * *

Tim was still following Bruce. He was starting to have trouble even seeing him in front of him. Below him he could hear the screech of tyres. He looked below and could see that Morpheus, Trinity and Alfred had hijacked a taxi and were following below.

There he was, standing on a cornice. Tim landed next to him.

"Bruce, we need to talk."

"I don't know Bruce…" The sound was like a whisper. Tim had to concentrate to even see him.

"I don't care. Join me on the ground." Tim pointed to an alleyway below where he could see Morpheus, Trinity and Alfred standing.

"Why?"

"We need to chat."

"I don't even know you…"

"I don't care. We know you. Surely you can't be entirely gone that you don't recognise that man?" He pointed down to Alfred. "He has looked after you your whole life."

"Alfffrreeeddd?" At that the ghostly Batman leapt off the parapet and landed next to Alfred. Tim did the same but slowed his ascent with a line. He landed with a thud next to him.

"Master Bruce, what has happened to you?" Alfred took off his sunglasses and stared with sorrow at the phantom.

* * *

"Mr Joker. We seem to keep meeting up."

"Save the sweet talk for later, darling. Morpheus is in the matrix, and what is more, I know exactly where he is." He looked like the Joker again now that he was back in the matrix. He pulled a mobile phone out of his pocket. "Harley my dear…" There was a voice on the other end. "Sorry, Mortive. Horrible name that, have you thought of changing it? Where is baldy?" He nodded and raised his eyebrows at Agents Smith and Brown. "Okay, I promise I won't call you Harley any more." He listened again for a few seconds. "Okay, cross my heart and hope to die if I call you Harley again; just tell me where Morpheus is now." He listened for a bit more. "Harley wants to talk to you…" He handed the phone to Smith.

"This is Smith." His face was like it was carved from stone. "You are not in a position to negotiate, Mortive." There was a raised voice on the other end. "Okay, if you tell us where Morpheus is now we will not target your family." He gave a rare smile. "Consider the debt repaid; we will not speak again, your family is safe." He clicked the phone shut. "We know where Morpheus is."

* * *

Morpheus was looking around the street worriedly. They walked quickly towards the taxi. The ghostly Batman was next to them.

"Why should I follow you?" he whispered.

Alfred was walking next to him. "We need to take you home. To safety."

Tim whispered to Morpheus. "How do we get him back into his body?"

"No idea. We need to get the Joker plugged into the matrix somehow. The thing is, if we plug him in he will be in here with us and judging by previous examples it would not be a healthy combination."

Morpheus looked up. Three passers-by warped into the Joker and the two agents. "Too late, Morpheus. Oh is that Batty with you? He looks like a stiff wind and he would disappear. Now where did I pack my vacuum cleaner?" He started patting his pockets.

"Get in the taxi!" shouted Tim. "Get going, I'll hold them off."

Smith and Brown raced towards Morpheus. Tim threw two batarangs at them; the agents blurred and dodged them. He appeared to blur himself as he kicked the agents through a nearby shop window and aimed a punch at the Joker. The Joker grabbed his fist and twisted his arm, spinning the boy into the road and into the path of a truck. His body twisted in mid air as he kicked the radiator of the truck and used its momentum to propel himself back towards the Joker. He punched the Joker and sent him flying towards Agents Smith and Brown who were just getting to their feet. They all went flying through the back of the shop in a cloud of dust.

He looked behind him and saw the taxi about to drive off when the taxi started to float. Joker. Looking back at the shop he saw the Joker was standing there with his hands up willing the car into the air. Somehow he had to distract him. Smith and Brown drew their guns and started shooting. His enhanced reflexes made him twist and turn in midair. Simultaneously he threw three explosive batarangs at them. Smith and Brown shot theirs out of the sky but the Joker was too busy concentrating on the taxi to pay it any heed. It blew him through the shop window for the second time that day…

The taxi dropped five feet to the ground. Tim cartwheeled onto the roof and the car roared off with the boy attached to the taxi sign. Morpheus was weaving through traffic at speed. He looked behind him and could see nothing. They ran a red light, losing a wing mirror against a red sedan, and raced past a huge truck, which suddenly tried to run them off the road. Tim looked up and could see the Joker driving the lorry. When the lorry tried to ram them again from behind he leapt from the roof of the taxi and onto the front. The Joker's sick grin was behind the windshield. The clown raised a hand and he could see a gun in it. The end of the gun looked like a black hole to eternity. He threw himself to one side as the Joker fired and the boy screamed in pain as the bullet scraped past his shoulder. He twisted into the cabin and immediately started punching the Joker with his one good arm. The Joker started hitting back.

The Joker was too fast and strong and his punches were hitting home. His mouth tasted coppery with the blood and his vision was lined with black dots. Suddenly the Joker gasped in fear. A black ghostly Batman appeared in the cab and hissed at the Joker. The clown tried to punch him but his punches just went straight through him. The Batman punched at him, he still held enough physical presence in this world to hit him through the door of the truck and into the road. A car just narrowly missed hitting him. The Batman floated ghost-like through the windshield and back into the taxi that was keeping pace with them. He abandoned the lorry himself and leapt onto the roof of the cab, and then lowered himself through the back window into the car.

"Thank heavens, Master Timothy your…" said Alfred, looking at Tim. "My, my, your arm is injured, I'd…"

"I'll be fine. Keep driving," he said. He studied his arm. No bones broken. No major arteries cut. He twisted his arm in a circle and winced with the pain. Not perfect but still useable. "Where is the nearest exit point?"

"Two blocks from here. Ground floor shop."

A car to the left started trying to push the taxi off the road. It was Agents Smith and Brown. Tim got a dozen small caltrops from his utility belt and threw it at the tyres of the car. Caltrops are small spiked balls; whatever way they fall there is always a spike pointing upwards. The tyres blew and the car hit a lamppost with some considerable force.

Morpheus was on the phone. "Tank, activate the shop exit point now."

"Yes sir, but there is something you should…"

"Not now Tank, just get us out of here."

"But sir!"

"Do it!"

"Sir."

Morpheus twisted the wheel of the car and it screeched to a halt outside the shop. The doors flew open and they raced towards the shop door. The demonic looking Batman was gliding through the air next to them. They raced down the shop aisles and towards the customer service desk. The face of the man at the customer service desk warped and changed to the Joker's face.

"Hello, guys and gals. I can only accept returns if you have a receipt?" The phone started ringing next to him. "This call for any of you?" He put his hand on the phone and started to crush it. Morpheus and Trinity pulled out their guns and started shooting at him. The Joker dodged all the bullets. Unseen by all, Batman glided to the phone and using the last of his strength picked it up and grabbed hold of the Joker at the same time. There was a flash of green and they disappeared. Just before the handle fell to the table, Morpheus picked it up and disappeared. Trinity did the same. The phone landed with a clank on the table.

"After you?" said Tim to Alfred.

Alfred picked up the phone and disappeared and Tim followed in a sea of numbers…

* * *

Tim opened his eyes to see a strange sight. The Joker was sitting up, talking to Mortive, who was holding a gun on him.

"Please, Harley my dear, put the gun down."

"I told you my name is Mortive."

"Put the gun down, Mortive," said Morpheus.

"Morpheus, you're…"

"Alive, yes. I know why you did this…"

She dropped the gun and started crying. "I didn't want to, I…"

Alfred picked up her gun and backed away.

Tank stood up. "They killed the rest of the crew sir. There was nothing I could…"

Morpheus grimaced and picked up a gun and pointed it at the Joker. Bruce walked in front of the gun. "I thought your society had laws and regulations?"

"He must pay for that."

"Pay he will, but it is not our decision what he pays." The Joker leapt towards Morpheus. His body was still not properly developed because of the years he had spent in the matrix and he was slow. Bruce, who had been exercising constantly since he first woke up, grabbed him and forced him into an arm lock. He swiftly tied him up.

"Bruce, is that really you?"

He looked up from the Joker. "It's really me. It's strange, as soon I was back here I suddenly remembered everything. I was nearly gone in there. I could feel my thoughts, my very soul disintegrating in front of me. If you hadn't come back when you did I would have been nothing. Not even a thought on a breeze. Thanks for coming back."

"No problem." He glared at the Joker, now in his proper body. "What do we do with the clown?"

"He will be tried by the council, as will Mortive," said Morpheus. "In the meantime we will take them back and put them in the stockade."

The Joker giggled. "And just how long do you think your stockade will hold me? I've escaped from more prisons than you've had jelly babies."

Bruce looked at him implacably. "He is probably right."

"You know, you can probably never return to the Matrix. Your form would not survive long there now. If you need a job in Zion…"

Bruce grinned. "Prison officer." The Joker paled. "Now doesn't that sound like fun?"


	21. Chapter TwentyOne Conclusion

Batman and the associated characters are owned by DC and the Matrix and its characters are owned by Larry and Andy Wachowski. This is set before the original Matrix film. All reviews welcome.

**Chapter Twenty-One – Hostile Takeover**

Bruce had settled in with difficulty to life in Zion. All his life he had been a doer; an achiever, and hiding this from the general population had added an extra layer to his life. Finding out that his whole life had been a sham, a story, a make-believe to power machines made him even more morose and taciturn than he was normally.

In spite of all this he tried to fill in the days in Zion. His main job was looking after the prisoners in "The Stockade". Despite all Morpheus' proclamations of a new and just society founded in the bowels of the Earth, he found much that he did not like in life there. He spent his days improving the lot of the prisoners. All they had at the start was just a small cell carved in granite for each, no toilet facilities and precious little air. It was thought a waste to divert precious energy from their hydrothermal powered plant to them. Bruce campaigned to change this.

Tim had found a new home on one of the ships that regularly connected to the Matrix. They saw each other occasionally but he seemed to find his new life too exciting to want to connect back to his old.

Alfred had withdrawn into himself for the past couple of months. This was quite common, apparently, and Bruce was very worried about him for a while. Seeing Alfred with a beard and what little hair he had long and matted was quite unnatural for him. All his life Alfred had had a purpose and a vision of what the future would hold and it was suddenly taken away from him. Bruce spent many long evenings with the old man, talking to him sometimes, feeding him occasionally, but mainly just being there for him. Too be honest, helping Alfred get used to the new world helped him get used to it as well. He was the only person there who was the same in both worlds.

Bruce was sitting down patiently at the table as he had done for months. Alfred was sitting opposite pushing some food about the plate.

"One thing I do not get, sir."

Bruce interrupted him. "I told you don't call me sir. You are not my servant any more…"

Alfred carried on. "One thing I do not get, sir, is if this is the future why does all the food taste like congealed cold porridge."

"It could be my cooking," said Bruce with a wry smile. This was the most Alfred had said in a long time.

"With respect sir. This is not cooking this is poison. If this was my last meal I would be saying bring on the afterlife, it can not be worse than this."

Bruce waved his hands about the sparse dwelling they were in. "This might not be the afterlife but it is our life now. We have to do what we can with what we have."

Alfred poked his food a bit more with a fork. He was surprised the food was not putting up more a fight. He looked up. "Is this what the human race is reduced to eating now then?"

"Yes. What are you going to do about it?"

Alfred looked up and for the first time in a long time gave a small smile.

In some of his spare evenings Bruce helped develop the training programs that people used in the Matrix. He was a Master of many different types of martial arts and had trained with some of the best fighters in the world. Some of the masters were little more than scarred bullies, brawlers who developed a fearsome fighting reputation in the bars they frequented. Some were murderers, a lot were criminals but they all had something to teach the young Bruce about how to win a fight. Now that lifetime's knowledge was being digitised and input to the men and women who entered the matrix, giving them a fighting chance of survival there. There was a lot of talk of a new man called Neo, who was the promised one who would lead them all to safety. Bruce was a natural cynic; he would believe it when he saw it.

Alfred started getting less withdrawn and started to develop a social circle in Zion. Mainly to do with his culinary skills. He could cook food out of protein that had previously only been tasted in the matrix.

Bruce started to feel that his life's task was ended. Zion was relatively free of criminals. There being no money and few luxury items, crime was a thing of the past. Even in such a society there were a few psychopaths and these Bruce looked after. Including the Joker…

The huge steel door clanged shut behind him and he was in the melodramatically called kill zone. Guards with guns patrolled the wall next to the door. Anyone not in prison warden uniform they had orders to kill.

"Hello Duncan," he said to one of the guards. "Prisoners okay?"

"Yeah, they're not bad. They always get twitchy when your not here."

Bruce's face hardened. "What about the Joker?"

"Same as always. He's not giving us any trouble at the moment."

Bruce gave the other guard an affable smile and walked towards the prisoners. They scuttled away at his approach. Even outside the matrix he was known by reputation and that reputation was worth more to him than any number of punches he could adminster. He had no fear of these prisoners, but they had a fear of him.

The Joker had not settled into life well in Zion. From the relatively omnipotent powers he held in the Matrix to just being one face in a hundred in the stockade. And the place was pretty much escape-proof as well. Even if he could escape where could he go? Zion? There was nothing there, just a mish mash of caves and concrete dwellings. He would be rooted out and thrown back inside in a trice. There wasn't even any purple dye there. His face and hair that a chemical accident had created all those years ago in the matrix hadn't happened outside the matrix. He was just a thin middle-aged man with light brown hair and a receding hairline. A nothing. A nobody. People weren't even scared of him. They didn't know him to be scared of him.

"Hello Batsy," said the Joker, more from force of habit than anything.

"Joker," said Bruce and nodded his head curtly.

"No news on the idea I passed to the council then?"

"They've decided against a mandatory purple pants policy."

"Right, right. What about the other policy idea?"

"Well they agree in principal that everyone should have a smile on their face..." The Joker's face lit up at this. "But they feel your idea to chemically enhance this would not be popular. You know the number of fatalities thing and the fact this is the only outpost of free humans on earth they didn't want to give you any to experiment on."

"Right, right," said the Joker sadly and moped back to the cave wall where he was vainly trying to scratch a giant joker's face into the granite wall with another piece of granite. It looked like being a long job but the Joker had all the time in the world.

Bruce walked down the concrete path to the entrance of the stockade as he did everyday. This time there was somebody new there. She was a short dumpy girl with light brown hair and pretty features.

"Hey there," said Bruce. "Who are you?"

"Isabel Benson," she said putting her hand. "Just been given a tour of duty here. You?"

"Bruce Wayne." He smiled at her. Not his normal foppish smile, that character was gone, confined to the matrix as was Batman. He put his hand out to shake her hand. "You new here? I'll show you around."

His old life might be over but he still had a new life to enjoy.

THE END


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